The large-scale structure of the Universe is made up of filaments and voids. When we look closely at the filaments, we find that they can be broken down into superclusters, clusters, galaxy groups, and finally into galaxies.
The Large Scale Structure (LSS) of the universe refers to the patterns of galaxies and matter on scales much more significant than individual galaxies or groupings of galaxies. These correlated structures can be seen up to billions of light-years in length and are created and shaped by gravity.
For decades, cosmologists have wondered if the universe’s large-scale structure is a fractal if it looks the same no matter how large the scale. After completing massive surveys of galaxies, scientists finally have an answer: No, but kind of, in a way. “If the space is not smooth, if large clumps of matter distort it, then the path of light is distorted, and its redshift is no longer related to the distance to the galaxy.
Because the light from distant galaxies takes a long time to reach the telescope, the maps show us 11 billion years of cosmological time, covering most of the universe’s history.
Over time, gravity pulled matter together so that gas formed stars. Those stars gathered in galaxies, and galaxies congregated in clusters. On a large scale, though, the expansion of the universe should trump the influence of gravity. So the matter should be distributed more or less evenly, according to the standard model of cosmology.
