The Universe Is Apparently Not a Fractal

Since astronomical capabilities evolved, astronomers have been able to peer deeper and deeper into the small- and large-scale structure of the Universe. What they observed was a tendency for the matter to cluster, a phenomenon that made them wonder if the entire Cosmos is not a fractal. The simple answer? No.

A fractal is a mathematical object that looks exactly the same at any scale, regardless of whether you zoom in or out. The image above is a good example, but a quick Google search will provide even more insight into these fascinating structures.

The idea first came to astronomers when they saw that stars were organized in clusters, which formed galaxies, which then formed clusters, superclusters, galactic walls and so on. At any scale, matter tended to clump up, Space reports.

What a new study found is that the distribution of matter throughout the Universe is not consistent with a fractal-like pattern, since matter is spread out evenly. It may not appear so at first, but experts assure us that it is.