Article says they focused on a cloud 18 billion light years away. IIRC the universe is 13.7 billion years old so I’m wondering how they can see light 18 billion years old...maybe millions instead of billions?
Space expanded at a rate faster than the speed of light (so goes the theory). There isn’t anything to stop Space itself expanding faster than the Speed of Light. This cloud must be on the other side of the expansion from us. (Theoretically).
At Plank scales, it’s chunky. Beyond that it gets smoother and smoother.