Researchers have captured an extremely rare image of a cosmic filament connecting two galaxies when the universe was just two billion years old.

After hundreds of hours of observations, researchers captured a highly detailed image of a long filament of the "cosmic web" connecting two distant galaxies. The discovery opens new windows for understanding how structures form and evolve in the universe.

Astronomers have been able to image gas as it travels down a 3 million light-year-long cosmic highway between two growing galaxies ensnared in the cosmic web.

Scientists have captured the most detailed image of a cosmic filament which could lead to a better understanding of galaxy formation

A stronomers using the Very Large Telescope at the European Southern Observatory in Chile have imaged a filament of the cosmic web connecting two galaxies in unprecedented detail. Running simulations, the team says that the data collected lends further support to the current cold dark matter model of the universe.