Simulation of the cosmic web

This image depicts a simulation of the ‘cosmic web’, the vast network of threads and filaments that extends throughout the Universe. Stars, galaxies, and galaxy clusters spring to life in the densest knots of this web, and remain connected by vast threads that stretch out for many millions of light-years. These threads are invisible to the eye, but can be uncovered by telescopes such as ESA’s XMM-Newton (read more).

The frame centres on a galaxy cluster. The colours transition from left to right, representing density of dark matter (left, in blue-purples) and density of gas (on the right, in orange-reds).

This image is from the Illustris Simulation of galaxy formation, accessible here: illustris-project.org

[Image description: The image is a detailed and colourful visualisation of the cosmic web, which shows the large-scale structure of the Universe. The left side of the image is filled with blue and purple colours and is a bit wispier/darker. The right side has bright orange and yellow colours and is much bolder/brighter. In the centre, there is a bright green-blue area where these two sides meet, forming a complex network of filaments that connect various clusters of galaxies. The text ‘ILLUSTRIS’ appears in small font at the bottom right corner.]