Jaan Einasto at first investigated the structure of nearby galaxies and helped to deduce that they are dominated by dark matter. Joeveer at first studied the distribution and dynamics of stars in our Milky Way galaxy. In a joint effort in the mid-1970s, they investigated the galaxy distribution using catalogued data and began to see evidence for large-scale inhomogeneities. A careful review of their investigation reveals shortcomings. The Tartu Observatory 1.5-m telescope was built and commissioned in this era, but it was not equipped with a spectrograph capable of detecting galaxy redshifts. The greatest advantage held by the Estonians came from their early knowledge of computer simulations by Shandarin based on the Zeldovich approximation. At IAU Symposium No. 79 organized by the Estonian astronomers, the first open discussion was held of cosmic voids. Also participating in the meeting was Brent Tully, an expert on the structure of the Local supercluster.

Two new wide-field photographic survey telescopes were placed into operation soon after World War II, and two new nearly-all-sky galaxy surveys emerged: the Lick Observatory Shane and Wirtanen survey and the National Geographic Palomar Observatory Sky Survey. These made it possible for the first time to study the galaxy distribution in 2D as projected onto the sky. Both Shane and Abell found evidence for galaxy superclusters, but Zwicky remained steadfast in saying that superclusters do not exist. Starting in 1953, Gerard de Vaucouleurs studied the properties of the Local supercluster showing that only 10 percent of the local volume of space is occupied by groups of galaxies. Table 4.1 lists all known galaxy superclusters from this early era. The subject of cosmic voids did not arise in a formal sense, but Neyman and Scott devised a model of the galaxy distribution showing that all galaxies might all belong to groups or clusters of galaxies. Still, some cosmologists remained holdouts for homogeneity.