Astronomers have discovered a giant cosmic structure around the Milky Way

A group of astronomers led by Evuda Wempe, a graduate student from the Kaptein Institute in Groningen, discovered a giant structure surrounding a Local group of galaxies, including the Milky Way and Andromeda. This discovery explains the strange behavior of galaxies, which, despite the force of gravity, are moving away from us. This was reported on March 6 by Science Daily magazine.

During the study, the scientists used sophisticated computer simulations to figure out how matter is distributed in the vicinity of a Local Group. They discovered that the structure of matter around us is a huge and flat cosmic "plate" that stretches for tens of millions of light-years. This structure includes both ordinary matter and the dark matter that surrounds galaxies. Along this plane, there are large cosmic voids that are empty of galaxies.

According to the obtained model, this structure helps to compensate for the gravitational attraction of the Local Group, which, in turn, explains the movements of galaxies within this group. Galaxies located in the plane continue to move away from us, despite the gravitational influence, while regions located outside the plane contain almost no galaxies. It also affects the movement of space objects.

"We are studying all possible local configurations of the early Universe that could eventually lead to the formation of a local group of galaxies. It's great that we now have a model that, on the one hand, is consistent with the existing cosmological model, and on the other, with the dynamics of our local environment," said the main author of the study in a press release.

Astronomers also claim that at the moment they can offer an accurate description of the movement of galaxies within the Local Group. A lot of work has been done to understand why these objects behave the way they do.

In the body itself: scientists have discovered "traces of life" in a meteorite from the last century

Will the researchers' discovery answer the question of whether we are alone in the universe?

On February 26, Universe Today magazine reported the discovery of the Naked Skull nebula, named for its striking resemblance to a human skull. It was specified that it is located 5,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Vela.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.