"The Formation of the Cosmic Web: A Glimpse into the Early Universe"

The cosmic web, a massive filament-like structure, formed over billions of years as the Universe evolved from a smooth, uniform state to one filled with galaxies and galaxy clusters. Gravity caused tiny imperfections in the early Universe to grow, leading to the hierarchical formation of structures, with stars forming first, followed by galaxies, and eventually massive galaxy clusters. The largest structures formed last, and the presence of dark energy has limited the growth of structures beyond galaxy clusters. The cosmic web is no longer growing as it once was, but is primarily being torn apart by dark energy, making the current observable Universe uniquely richly structured.