This image, obtained with the Subaru Telescope, operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan was used by a team of astronomers, led by Masayuki Tanaka from the European Southern Observatory (ESO), to uncover a gigantic, previously unknown assembly of galaxies located almost seven billion light-years away from us. This structure was confirmed by further observations made using ESO’s Very Large Telescope and Subaru. It is the first observation of such a prominent galaxy structure in the distant Universe, providing further insight into the cosmic web and how it formed.

The galaxies located in the newly discovered structure are shown in red. Galaxies that are either in front or behind the structure are shown in blue.

This image in full resolution is available on this link (TIF format 140 MB).