A typical distribution of matter (light and dark) in a 100-megaparsec cube of the universe.  Scaled into this map, the galaxy would be less than 1mm wide.  The cosmological model for this piece is tuned to match the Sloan Survey.  Both bright and dark matter are shown, but dark energy hasn't (yet) entered the picture.

The features shown in this model – filaments, sheets and supergalaxy clusters – are too big to be visible in the night sky.  The largest concentration here is like the Virgo Cluster.  In this model, which is not a literal map, our local group of galaxies would be located about a quarter of the cube away from that largest cluster.

Data for this sculpture was provided by Professor Quinn and Dr. Stadel at the University of Washington, under funding from the NASA Earth and Space Sciences/High Performance Computing and Communication Program.  You can learn more about their research at the N-Body Shop site.  This data is used by permission of the copyright owners.

Click here to see this structure condense from cold dark matter.
 

Shopping for this piece is suspended as of January 2010, pending a redesign.
Thanks for your patience!
 

Without illumination the crystal works best on a dark background.  It comes with clear rubber feet to avoid scratching your desk or mantel. On the left, this light base is a great way to light up your universe!  It's made of black Formica and has white LEDs that are cool, long-lasting and energy-efficient.  Bright enough for the office by day, or a brilliant nightlight. Light base – $20 I apologize, light bases are backordered until probably mid-January.  If you'd like to shop anyway, we won't delay the rest of your order to wait for a base (unless you ask), and when they come in we'll ship yours immediately at no extra cost. Thanks for your patience!