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Massive Cosmic Filament Discovered: A Galaxy-Packed Mystery

12/8/2025

Summary

Story summary

The largest known rotating structure in the universe is a cosmic filament about 140 million light-years away, observed with MeerKAT radio telescope.
The filament spans 50 million light-years, housing about 300 galaxies, gas, and dark matter.
The filament exhibits independent spins by galaxies and a bulk rotation of about 110 kilometers per second.
The discovery, published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, clarifies how filaments influence galaxy formation.

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Story summary

The largest known rotating structure in the universe is a cosmic filament about 140 million light-years away, observed with MeerKAT radio telescope.
The filament spans 50 million light-years, housing about 300 galaxies, gas, and dark matter.
The filament exhibits independent spins by galaxies and a bulk rotation of about 110 kilometers per second.
The discovery, published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, clarifies how filaments influence galaxy formation.