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Filaments
Megan Bates

Filaments is a program which produces a miniature universe which follows the physical properties of the (now discarded) 'closed universe' model. A collection of 700 galaxies are spawned and explode from an origin, representative of the big bang. The galaxies are then respawned, as an outward motion does not produce matter distribution reflective of an actual big bang event: in that case, space expands with matter. The galaxies are disturbed randomly throughout an elliptical representation of the universe, creating an image representative of the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation.

CMBR Map by the Planck Telescope

The galaxies slowly coalesce and collapse under gravity, forming systems of galaxies similar to those seen in the 'filaments' observed in our own universe.

The SDSS redshift survey map, by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.


Once the universe has collapsed again under gravity to a dense point, another big bang occurs. This is not reflective of our own future, but is an appealingly cyclic model of perhaps another universe.