Superclusters are large groups of smaller
galaxy 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...
and are among the largest known structures of the
cosmosIn the general sense, a cosmos is an orderly or harmonious system. It originates from the Greek term κόσμος , meaning "order" or "ornament" and is antithetical to the concept of chaos. Today, the word is generally used as a synonym of the word Universe . The word cosmos originates from the same root...
. They are so large that they are not gravitationally bound and, consequently, partake in the Hubble expansion.
Existence
The existence of superclusters indicates that the
galaxiesA galaxy is a massive, gravitationally bound system that consists of stars and stellar remnants, an interstellar medium of gas and dust, and an important but poorly understood component tentatively dubbed dark matter. The word galaxy is derived from the Greek galaxias , literally "milky", a...
in our
UniverseThe 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...
are not uniformly distributed; most of them are drawn together in groups and clusters, with groups containing up to 50 galaxies and clusters up to several thousand galaxies. Those groups and clusters and additional isolated galaxies in turn form even larger structures called superclusters.
Superclusters form large structures of galaxies, called
"filaments"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...
, "supercluster complexes", "walls" or "sheets", that may span between several hundred million light-years to one billion
light-yearA light-year, also light year or lightyear is a unit of length, equal to just under 10 trillion kilometres...
s, covering more than 5% of the
observable universeIn Big Bang cosmology, the observable universe consists of the galaxies and other matter that we can in principle observe from Earth in the present day, because light from those objects has had time to reach us since the beginning of the cosmological expansion...
. Observations of superclusters likely tell us something about the initial condition of the universe when these superclusters were created. The directions of the rotational axes of galaxies within superclusters may also give us insight into the formation process of galaxies early in the history of the Universe.
According to some astronomers, no clusters of superclusters are known; the existence of structures larger than superclusters is debated (see
Galaxy filamentIn 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...
). Interspersed among superclusters are large
voidsIn astronomy, voids are the empty spaces between filaments, the largest-scale structures in the Universe, that contain very few, or no, galaxies. They were first discovered in 1978 during a pioneering study by Stephen Gregory and Laird A. Thompson at the Kitt Peak National Observatory...
of space in which few galaxies exist. Even though superclusters are the largest confirmed structures, the total number of superclusters leaves possibilities for structural distribution.
Superclusters are frequently subdivided into groups of clusters called
galaxy cloudA galaxy cloud is a group of galaxy clusters and a substructure of a supercluster. The Local Supercluster contains the Virgo cluster, the Canes Venatici Cloud and the Virgo II Cloud....
s.
Nearby superclusters
| Galaxy supercluster |
Data |
Notes |
| Local 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...
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- z
In physics , redshift happens when light seen coming from an object is proportionally increased in wavelength, or shifted to the red end of the spectrum...
=0.000 (0 light years away)
- Length = 33 Mpc (110 million light years)
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It contains the 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...
with our galaxyA galaxy is a massive, gravitationally bound system that consists of stars and stellar remnants, an interstellar medium of gas and dust, and an important but poorly understood component tentatively dubbed dark matter. The word galaxy is derived from the Greek galaxias , literally "milky", a...
, the Milky WayThe Milky Way is the galaxy that contains the Solar System. This name derives from its appearance as a dim un-resolved "milky" glowing band arching across the night sky...
. It also contains the Virgo clusterThe Virgo Cluster is a cluster of galaxies whose center is 53.8 ± 0.3 Mly away in the constellation Virgo. Comprising approximately 1300 member galaxies, the cluster forms the heart of the larger Local Supercluster, of which the Local Group is an outlying member...
near its center, and is sometimes called the Virgo Supercluster. |
| Hydra-Centaurus Supercluster The 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....
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It is composed of two lobes, sometimes also referred to as superclusters, or sometimes the entire supercluster is referred to by these other two names
Hydra Supercluster
Centaurus Supercluster |
| Perseus-Pisces Supercluster The 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...
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| Pavo-Indus Supercluster The Pavo-Indus Supercluster is a neighboring supercluster to the Local Supercluster containing Local Group, a group of galaxies that contains our home galaxy, Milky Way galaxy. The Supercluster contains four main clusters, Abell 3656, Abell 3698, Abell 3742 according to Atlas of the universe web...
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Coma SuperclusterThe Coma Supercluster is a nearby supercluster of galaxies comprising the Coma Cluster and the Leo Cluster . Located 300 million light-years from Earth, it is in the center of the Great Wall. The Coma Supercluster is the nearest massive cluster of galaxies to our own Virgo Supercluster...
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Forms most of the CfA Homunculus, the center of the CfA2 Great Wall 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...
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| Sculptor Superclusters |
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SCl 9 |
| Hercules Superclusters The Hercules Superclusters refers to a set of two nearby superclusters of galaxies.Relative to other local superclusters, Hercules is considered particularly large, being approximately 330 Mly in diameter...
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SCl 160 |
| Leo Supercluster |
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SCl 93 |
| Ophiuchus Supercluster |
cz=8500–9000 km/s (centre)
18 Mpc x 26 Mpc |
Forming the far wall of the Ophiuchus Void, it may be connected in a filament, with the Pavo-Indus-Telescopium Supercluster and the Hercules Supercluster. This supercluster is centered on the cD cluster Ophiuchus Cluster, and has at least two more galaxy clusters, four more galaxy groups, several field galaxies, as members. |
| Shapley Supercluster The Shapley Supercluster or Shapley Concentration is the largest concentration of galaxies in our nearby universe that forms a gravitationally interacting unit, thereby pulling itself together instead of expanding with the universe. It appears as a striking overdensity in the distribution of...
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The second supercluster found, after the Local Supercluster. |
Distant superclusters
| Galaxy supercluster |
Data |
Notes |
| Pisces-Cetus Supercluster |
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| Bootes Supercluster |
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SCl 138 |
Horologium SuperclusterThe Horologium Supercluster is a massive supercluster, about 550 million light-years across and has a mass of 1017 solar masses...
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- z
In physics , redshift happens when light seen coming from an object is proportionally increased in wavelength, or shifted to the red end of the spectrum...
=0.063 (700 Mly)
- Length = 550 Mly
|
The entire supercluster is referred to as the Horologium-Reticulum Supercluster |
| Corona Borealis Supercluster |
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| Columba Supercluster |
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| Aquarius Supercluster |
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| Aquarius B Supercluster |
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| Aquarius-Capricornus Supercluster |
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| Aquarius-Cetus Supercluster |
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| Bootes A Supercluster |
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| Caelum Supercluster |
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SCl 59 |
| Draco Supercluster |
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| Draco-Ursa Major Supercluster |
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| Fornax-Eridanus Supercluster |
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| Grus Supercluster |
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| Leo A Supercluster |
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| Leo-Sextans Supercluster |
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| Leo-Virgo Supercluster |
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SCl 107 |
| Microscopium Supercluster |
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SCl 174 |
| Pegasus-Pisces Supercluster |
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SCl 3 |
| Pisces Supercluster |
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SCl 24 |
| Pisces-Aries Supercluster |
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| Ursa Major Supercluster |
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| Virgo-Coma Supercluster |
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SCl 111 |
Far distant superclusters
| Galaxy supercluster |
Data |
Notes |
| Lynx Supercluster |
zIn physics , redshift happens when light seen coming from an object is proportionally increased in wavelength, or shifted to the red end of the spectrum...
=1.27 |
Discovered in 1999 (as ClG J0848+4453, a name now used to describe the western cluster, with ClG J0849+4452 being the eastern one), it contains at least two clusters RXJ 0848.9+4452 (z=1.26) and RXJ 0848.6+4453 (z=1.27) . At the time of discovery, it became the most distant known supecluster. Additionally, seven smaller groups of galaxies are associated with the supercluster. |
| SCL @ 1338+27 at z=1.1 |
zIn physics , redshift happens when light seen coming from an object is proportionally increased in wavelength, or shifted to the red end of the spectrum...
=1.1
Length=70Mpc |
A rich supercluster with several galaxy clusters was discovered around an unusual concentration of 23 QSOA quasi-stellar radio source is a very energetic and distant active galactic nucleus. Quasars are extremely luminous and were first identified as being high redshift sources of electromagnetic energy, including radio waves and visible light, that were point-like, similar to stars, rather than...
s at z=1.1 in 2001. The size of the complex of clusters may indicate a wall of galaxiesIn 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...
exists there, instead of a single supercluster. The size discovered approaches the size of the CfA2 Great Wall filament. At the time of the discovery, it was the largest and most distant supercluster beyond z=0.5 |
| SCL @ 1604+43 at z=0.9 |
zIn physics , redshift happens when light seen coming from an object is proportionally increased in wavelength, or shifted to the red end of the spectrum...
=0.91 |
This supercluster at the time of its discovery was the largest supercluster found so deep into space, in 2000. It consisted of two known rich clusters and one newly discovered cluster as a result of the study that discovered it. The then known clusters were Cl 1604+4304 (z=0.897) and Cl 1604+4321 (z=0.924), which then known to have 21 and 42 known galaxies respectively. The then newly discovered cluster was located at , |
| SCL @ 0018+16 at z=0.54 in SA26 |
zIn physics , redshift happens when light seen coming from an object is proportionally increased in wavelength, or shifted to the red end of the spectrum...
=0.54 |
This supercluster lies around radio galaxy 54W084C (z=0.544) and is composed of at least three large clusters, CL 0016+16 (z=0.5455), RX J0018.3+1618 (z=0.5506), RX J0018.8+1602 . |
| MS 0302+17 |
zIn physics , redshift happens when light seen coming from an object is proportionally increased in wavelength, or shifted to the red end of the spectrum...
=0.42
Length=6Mpc |
This supercluster has at least three member clusters, the eastern cluster CL 0303+1706, southern cluster MS 0302+1659 and northern cluster MS 0302+1717. |
Diagram
External links
See also
- Large-scale structure of the cosmos
- Galaxy groups and clusters
Galaxy 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...
- 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...
- Galaxy cloud
A galaxy cloud is a group of galaxy clusters and a substructure of a supercluster. The Local Supercluster contains the Virgo cluster, the Canes Venatici Cloud and the Virgo II Cloud....
- Galaxy
A galaxy is a massive, gravitationally bound system that consists of stars and stellar remnants, an interstellar medium of gas and dust, and an important but poorly understood component tentatively dubbed dark matter. The word galaxy is derived from the Greek galaxias , literally "milky", a...