Astronomers have found one of the largest spinning structures in the universe – a 50-million-light-year-long cosmic thread that contains a row of galaxies rotating in sync with the filament. This discovery challenges current understanding of how galactic evolution is influenced by their environment.
The cosmic thread, located 140 million light-years away, has a nested structure with a row of 14 galaxies aligned in a line 5.5 million light years long and 117,000 light years wide. These galaxies are rich in hydrogen gas, essential for star formation. What’s remarkable about this structure is that many of the galaxies within it rotate in the same direction as the filament itself.
This alignment is exceptional not just due to its size but also because the combination of spin alignment and rotational motion provides rare insight into how galaxies gain their spin from larger structures they live in. The discovery was made using the MeerKAT radio telescope, optical data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.
The finding is surprising because astronomers previously thought that galaxies formed independently and then developed their own rotation. However, this new discovery suggests that the environment can influence how galaxies spin. The rotation of this filament may have coaxed the galaxies within it to align in a similar direction.
This discovery will lead to important modifications in models of galaxy formation and could influence measurements made as part of weak lensing surveys. Understanding more about galaxy alignment and rotation along cosmic filaments is crucial for accurate measurements.
The study’s authors believe that this filament is a “fossil record of cosmic flows,” offering insights into how galaxies acquire their spin and grow over time. As the galaxies in the filament are relatively young, it’s possible that their spins could change as they mature, further challenging current understanding of galactic evolution.
Source: https://www.space.com/astronomy/scientists-discover-one-of-our-universes-largest-spinning-structures-a-50-million-light-year-long-cosmic-thread