Universe is threaded with a coherent magnetic field

Scientists confirmed something extraordinary — the entire universe is threaded with a weak but coherent magnetic field running continuously through every galaxy, every void, and every cosmic filament from one edge of the observable universe to the other.

Researchers from the LOFAR radio telescope network analyzed polarization patterns in radio waves from 2 million distant galaxies, detecting a systematic magnetic field orientation that persists across billions of light years with no interruptions. The field is extraordinarily weak — one millionth of Earth’s surface field strength — but its presence confirms it was generated in the very early universe before galaxies formed, rather than being a byproduct of galaxy formation.

This primordial field influenced matter distribution during cosmic structure formation, helping explain why galaxy filaments align in patterns gravity alone cannot fully account for. The discovery opens entirely new research into whether this universal field played a role in the emergence of the first generation of stars.

Source: LOFAR Radio Telescope Consortium, Leiden University Netherlands, Nature Astronomy, 2025