Rotating Galaxy Filament
Astronomers have discovered a gigantic strand of galaxies twisting through space like a slow-motion cosmic tornado. This structure stretches at least 49 million light-years, making it the largest rotating filament ever identified in the Universe.
It’s part of the cosmic web—the vast, invisible network of dark matter that shapes how galaxies form, move, and align. Physicist Lyla Jung compares it to a spinning teacup ride: each galaxy spins on its own, while the entire platform—the filament—spins as well.
What the Astronomers First Noticed
The team, led by Jung and Madalina Tudorache, first spotted something unusual in data from the MEERKat radio telescope in South Africa.
They found 14 galaxies lined up in an extremely straight, narrow formation—too neatly aligned to be random. This suggested a larger underlying structure.
Follow-up observations from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and the DESI survey revealed 283 more galaxies arranged along the same line, 440 million light-years away. All were oriented in the same direction, pointing to the presence of a massive cosmic filament.
Evidence That the Whole Structure Is Rotating
When the researchers studied the galaxies’ redshift, they discovered a clear sign of rotation:
• Galaxies on one side appeared slightly bluer, meaning they’re moving toward us.
• Galaxies on the opposite side appeared redder, meaning they’re moving away.
This is exactly what you would see if the entire filament were spinning. They even calculated the rotation speed: about 110 km (68 miles) per second, similar to the speed at which the Milky Way and Andromeda are approaching each other.
Why This Discovery Matters
The behavior supports Tidal Torque Theory, which suggests that early gravitational imbalances gave cosmic filaments their spin— spin that can later transfer to the galaxies embedded within them.
The filament also contains cold hydrogen gas, which can act as fuel for galaxies to grow and form stars. This means filaments might not just organize galaxies—they may help feed them too.
A Hidden Structure With Big Influence
At first glance, deep-field images of the Universe make galaxies look scattered and isolated. But this discovery shows they are far more connected than they appear.
Researchers found strong evidence that galaxies are rotating around the filament’s spine, making this the longest known spinning structure in the Universe. It could be the perfect environment to study how galaxies grow and gain their spin.
The full research was published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.