A large slice of the Universe

The positions in space of just some of the galaxies identified by the VIPERS survey. This is one of two "slices" through the Universe produced from the survey data. It shows where the galaxies lie as we look to ever greater distances in space — corresponding to looking further back in time. Data like these allow astronomers to study the evolution of galaxies as a constituent of the Universe, and tell us about how space itself evolves over time.