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MUSE reveals the first images of the cosmic web where galaxies are born

In a study published today, conducted using the MUSE instrument, the first images of the cosmic web in which galaxies are born are finally revealed to us.

Hydrogen filament discovered by MUSE
Hydrogen filament discovered by MUSE

© Roland BACON / David MARY / CRAL / Lagrange / ESO / NASA / CNRS Images

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The name is poetic, and the discovery fascinating, although the "cosmic web" made up of filaments of gas in which galaxies are born has long been predicted by major cosmological models (including the big bang model), until now we have never been able to directly observe it. This has now been achieved using the extraordinary MUSE instrument installed on ESO's Very Large Telescope in Chile, which has managed to capture the faint glow of the gas forming these filaments.

A holy grail which has now been attained by an international team led by Roland Bacon, a CNRS researcher at the Lyon Astrophysics Research Centre (CNRS / University of Lyon 1 / ENS of Lyon), the results are presented in a study published on Thursday 18 March in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. From these images of several filaments as they appeared one to two billion years after the big bang, a crucial period for understanding how galaxies form in this cosmic web, we can assume the existence of many previously undiscovered dwarf galaxies. To accomplish this, the team took the bold step of pointing ESO's Very Large Telescope equipped with the MUSE instrument and the telescope's adaptive optics system, at a single region of the sky for over 140 hours. Together, these instruments form one of the most powerful systems in the world, capable of revealing objects that even Hubble space telescope could not capture.

Our photo and video reports tell the story of the development and deployment of this extraordinary instrument, as well as a profile of its designer, Roland Bacon.

Press release

Un des filaments d’hydrogène (en bleu) découvert par MUSE
First images of the cosmic web reveal a myriad of unsuspected dwarf galaxies

Slideshow from CNRS Le Journal (only available in French)

Mise en place de MUSE au VLT
The history of the Universe soon revealed
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Site du Very large telescope (VLT), à l'observatoire Paranal, dans le désert d'Atacama au Chili, en janvier 2014. Le VLT est un ensemble de 4 télescopes de 8 m de diamètre, auxquels peuvent s'adjoindre 4 télescopes auxiliaires repositionnables de 1,80 m, en plus de deux télescopes dédiés aux grands relevés du ciel. Cette photo a été réalisée dans le cadre de la mission d'installation de MUSE (Multi unit spectroscopic explorer), un instrument d'observation des étoiles, sur le VLT. Ce…

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Mise en place de MUSE au VLT
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Un des filaments d’hydrogène (en bleu) découvert par MUSE, spectrographe 3D, dans le champ ultra-profond de Hubble. Il est situé dans la constellation du Fourneau, à 11,5 milliards d’années-lumière et s’étend sur plus de 15 millions d’années-lumière. L’image en arrière-plan est celle de Hubble. La structure filamentaire du gaz dans lequel se forment les galaxies, plus communément appelée la toile cosmique, est l’une des grandes prédictions du modèle du big bang et de la formation des galaxies…

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Filament d’hydrogène découvert par MUSE dans le champ ultra-profond de Hubble
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Site de l'observatoire Paranal, dans le désert d'Atacama au Chili, en janvier 2014. Au premier plan, une antenne satellite est utilisée pour les communications. Au second plan, les bâtiments abritent entre autres les salles de contrôle de l'observatoire. Cette photo a été réalisée dans le cadre de la mission d'installation de MUSE (Multi unit spectroscopic explorer), un instrument d'observation des étoiles, sur le Very large telescope (VLT). Ce spectrographe 3D à grand champ de vue découpe les…

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Mise en place de MUSE au VLT
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Remplissage d'un dispositif cryogénique avec de l'azote liquide, à l'observatoire Paranal, dans le désert d'Atacama au Chili, en janvier 2014. Cette opération est réalisée dans le télescope de l'unité 4 (UT4) du Very large telescope (VLT) baptisé "Yepun" (Vénus). MUSE (Multi unit spectroscopic explorer), un instrument d'observation des étoiles, a été installé dans ce télescope. Il s'agit d'un spectrographe 3D à grand champ de vue découpant les spectres lumineux collectés par le télescope, en…

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Mise en place de MUSE au VLT
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Within 35 minutes the film explores the inspiration and the story behind MUSE, why it was needed how it came into life over a nine year long development phase. It highlights the needed international European cooperation to realise the project and the participation of some of the hundreds of researchers, technicians and engineers involved. The innovative technology of MUSE and the front-line science done with it are discussed as well. Also the delicate installation process and the moment of…

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MUSE, the Cosmic Time Machine
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Simulation cosmologique d’un filament composé de centaines de milliers de petites galaxies. L’image de gauche est celle du rayonnement produit par toutes les galaxies tel qu’il pourrait être observé in situ. L’image de droite montre le filament tel qu’il serait observé par MUSE, le spectrographe 3D installé sur le Very Large Telescope (VLT) à l’Observatoire européen austral (ESO). Même avec un très grand temps d'exposition, l’immense majorité des galaxies ne sont pas détectables…

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Simulation cosmologique d’un filament composé de centaines de milliers de petites galaxies
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A portrait of Roland Bacon, astrophysicist at the Lyon Astrophysical Research Centre (CRAL). It is in the Atacama desert, in Chile, at the foot of the European Observatory of Cerro Paranal that Bacon shares with us his personal vision of scientific research between pure science and poetry. He looks back at his career path, professional encounters and questions that led to the development of new projects. The MUSE (Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer) instrument is an example and was chosen to…

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Roland Bacon, astrophysicist
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With an average of over one scientific article a day being published, the Very Large Telescope (VLT) is the astronomic observatory with the biggest scientific output in the world. As shown in this video, 2015 is to be a year abounding with discoveries especially with the Muse and Sphere instruments produced in French laboratories and mounted in Chile over the last year. This video was created from VLT, as a gateway to the stars. It is a film by Roland Bacon, astrophysicist, to be viewed via…

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VLT enters into service (The)
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Frédéric Gonte, Instrumentation Systems Engineer at the Paranal site, presents the European Southern Observatory (ESO) which has been standing for 15 years in the heart of the Atacama desert in Chile. It includes ten telescopes: four VLTs (Very Large Telescopes), four telescopes dedicated to interferometry, two to sky surveillance and a multitude of instruments for a precise observation of the sky. This film is an opportunity to present the new equipment that will be installed in the…

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VLT, the gateway to the stars

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