Pisces-Cetus Supercluster Complex
Encyclopedia
The Pisces-Cetus Supercluster Complex is a complex of galaxy supercluster
s or galaxy filament
that includes the Virgo Supercluster
(the supercluster in which the Local Group
, the galactic cluster that includes the Milky Way Galaxy, is located).
R. Brent Tully
of the University of Hawaii
’s Institute of Astronomy identified the Complex in 1987.
long and 150 million light years wide. It is one of the largest structures identified so far in the universe
, but is exceeded by the 1.37 billion-light-year long Sloan Great Wall
.
The complex comprises about 60 clusters and is estimated to have a total mass of 10 M☉
. According to the discoverer, the complex is composed of 5 parts:
With its mass of 10 M☉
, our Virgo Supercluster
accounts only for 0.1 percent of the total mass of the complex.
Supercluster
Superclusters are large groups of smaller galaxy groups and clusters and are among the largest known structures of the cosmos. They are so large that they are not gravitationally bound and, consequently, partake in the Hubble expansion.-Existence:...
s or galaxy filament
Galaxy filament
In physical cosmology, galaxy filaments, also called supercluster complexes or great walls, are, so far, the largest known cosmic structures in the universe. They are massive, thread-like structures with a typical length of 50 to 80 megaparsecs h-1 that form the boundaries between large voids in...
that includes the Virgo Supercluster
Virgo Supercluster
The Virgo Supercluster or Local Supercluster is the irregular supercluster that contains the Virgo Cluster in addition to the Local Group, which in turn contains the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies. At least 100 galaxy groups and clusters are located within its diameter of 33 megaparsecs...
(the supercluster in which the Local Group
Local Group
The Local Group is the group of galaxies that includes Earth's galaxy, the Milky Way. The group comprises more than 30 galaxies , with its gravitational center located somewhere between the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy...
, the galactic cluster that includes the Milky Way Galaxy, is located).
Discovery
AstronomerAstronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
R. Brent Tully
R. Brent Tully
R. Brent Tully is an astronomer at the Institute for Astronomy in Honolulu, Hawaii.Tully's specialty is astrophysics of galaxies. He, along with J. Richard Fisher, proposed the now-famous Tully-Fisher relation in a paper, A New Method of Determining Distances to Galaxies, published in Astronomy...
of the University of Hawaii
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
’s Institute of Astronomy identified the Complex in 1987.
Extent
The Pisces-Cetus Supercluster Complex is estimated to be about 1.0 billion light yearsLight Years
Light Years is the seventh studio album by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue. It was released on 25 September 2000 by Parlophone and Mushroom Records. The album's style was indicative of her return to "mainstream pop dance tunes"....
long and 150 million light years wide. It is one of the largest structures identified so far in the universe
Universe
The Universe is commonly defined as the totality of everything that exists, including all matter and energy, the planets, stars, galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space. Definitions and usage vary and similar terms include the cosmos, the world and nature...
, but is exceeded by the 1.37 billion-light-year long Sloan Great Wall
Sloan Great Wall
The Sloan Great Wall is a cosmic structure formed by a giant wall of galaxies , and to the present day it is the largest known structure in the universe. Its discovery was announced on October 20, 2003 by J. Richard Gott III of Princeton University and Mario Jurić and their colleagues, based on...
.
The complex comprises about 60 clusters and is estimated to have a total mass of 10 M☉
Solar mass
The solar mass , , is a standard unit of mass in astronomy, used to indicate the masses of other stars and galaxies...
. According to the discoverer, the complex is composed of 5 parts:
- The Pisces-Cetus Supercluster
- The Perseus-Pegasus chain, including the Perseus-Pisces SuperclusterPerseus-Pisces SuperclusterThe Perseus-Pisces Supercluster is one of the largest known structures in the universe. Even at a distance of 250 million light-years, this chain of galaxy clusters extends more than 40° across the northern winter sky...
- The Pegasus-Pisces chain
- The Sculptor region, including the Sculptor Supercluster and Hercules Supercluster
- The Virgo-Hydra-Centaurus Supercluster, which contains our Virgo SuperclusterVirgo SuperclusterThe Virgo Supercluster or Local Supercluster is the irregular supercluster that contains the Virgo Cluster in addition to the Local Group, which in turn contains the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies. At least 100 galaxy groups and clusters are located within its diameter of 33 megaparsecs...
(Local Supercluster) as well as the Hydra-Centaurus SuperclusterHydra-Centaurus SuperclusterThe Hydra-Centaurus Supercluster , or the Hydra and Centaurus superclusters, is a supercluster in two parts and the closest neighbour of Milky Way's Virgo Supercluster....
.
With its mass of 10 M☉
Solar mass
The solar mass , , is a standard unit of mass in astronomy, used to indicate the masses of other stars and galaxies...
, our Virgo Supercluster
Virgo Supercluster
The Virgo Supercluster or Local Supercluster is the irregular supercluster that contains the Virgo Cluster in addition to the Local Group, which in turn contains the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies. At least 100 galaxy groups and clusters are located within its diameter of 33 megaparsecs...
accounts only for 0.1 percent of the total mass of the complex.
Image
See also
- Entropy
- Fossil groupFossil groupFossil Galaxy Groups, fossil Groups, or fossil clusters are believed to be the end-result of galaxy merging within a normal galaxy group, leaving behind the X-ray halo. Galaxies within a group interact and merge. The physical process behind this galaxy-galaxy merger is dynamical friction...
- Galaxy groups and clustersGalaxy groups and clustersGalaxy groups and clusters are the largest known gravitationally bound objects to have arisen thus far in the process of cosmic structure formation. They form the densest part of the large scale structure of the universe...
- Galactic orientationGalactic orientationGalactic clusters are gravitationally bound large-scale structures of multiple galaxies. The evolution of these aggregates is determined by time and manner of formation and the process of how their structures and constituents have been changing with time. Gamow and Weizscker showed that the...
- List of galaxy clusters
- List of superclusters
- Large-scale structure of the cosmos
- Timeline of galaxies, clusters of galaxies, and large-scale structure
- Intracluster mediumIntracluster mediumIn astronomy, the intracluster medium is the superheated plasma present at the center of a galaxy cluster. This is gas heated to temperatures of between roughly 10 and 100 megakelvins and consisting mainly of ionised hydrogen and helium, containing most of the baryonic material in the cluster...