Ep 16. Biggest Things in Space

The Universe season 2 episode 16, titled "Biggest Things in Space," takes viewers on a journey through the vast expanse of the universe to explore some of the largest structures ever discovered. From enormous galaxies to supermassive black holes, this episode delves into the awe-inspiring scale of the cosmos.

The episode kicks off by examining the largest structure in the entire universe: the cosmic web. This intricate network of galaxies stretches across billions of light-years and is held together by gravity. The show explains how the cosmic web was formed after the Big Bang and how it continues to evolve today.

Moving on, the episode focuses on individual galaxies, showcasing some of the largest and most massive ones ever discovered. Viewers will learn about the Milky Way's closest neighbor, the Andromeda Galaxy, which contains billions of stars and is estimated to be around 220,000 light-years in diameter.

We then travel to the center of the Milky Way, where a massive black hole is thought to reside. The episode explains how scientists determined that there is indeed a supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy and shows how it's affecting the stars around it.

Next, we travel even further out into space to explore the largest known structures in the universe: galaxy clusters. These collections of tens or even hundreds of galaxies can span millions of light-years and contain trillions of stars. The show explains how galaxy clusters form and how they help scientists understand dark matter, one of the biggest mysteries in the universe.

Beyond galaxy clusters, the episode showcases even larger structures: superclusters. These massive collections of galaxy clusters can span hundreds of millions of light-years and contain thousands of galaxies. The episode explains how scientists discovered the existence of these gargantuan structures and how they're helping to rewrite our understanding of the universe.

The episode concludes with a look at some of the biggest mysteries in the universe, including the elusive dark energy that's causing the expansion of the universe to accelerate. Viewers will learn about the scientific instruments and technologies used to study these mysteries and how the search for answers is ongoing.

Overall, "Biggest Things in Space" is a fascinating exploration of the largest structures in the universe. From the cosmic web to superclusters, this episode takes viewers on a journey through space and time to understand the awe-inspiring scale of our universe.