Virgo superclusters
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The Virgo supercluster (also local supercluster ) is a super galaxy cluster and itself part of the Laniakea supercluster . Among other things, it contains the Local Group , which also includes the Milky Way System.
properties
The Virgo supercluster contains around 100 to 200 galaxy clusters . Its gravitational center is the Virgo galaxy cluster (approx. 2,000 galaxies ), after which it is named. Other large clusters are the Fornax galaxy cluster and the Eridanus galaxy cluster . The local group and the neighboring galaxy groups such as the M81 group , the M83 group , or the Sculptor group are located roughly in the middle between the Fornax and Virgo clusters. The Virgo supercluster is about 150 to 200 million light years in diameter and is shaped like a flattened disk.
The total mass of the Virgo supercluster is estimated to be over 10 15 solar masses (about 2 × 10 45 kg ). This is possible through the observation of gravitational effects in the movement of the individual galaxies. Since the luminosity of the Virgo supercluster is too low for the determined number of stars , this estimate is an indication of the existence of dark matter . It probably makes up the largest part of the mass of the Virgo supercluster.
The Virgo supercluster moves at about 600 km / s in the direction of the Hydra-Centaurus supercluster , and - together with other superclusters - at a similar speed to the large attractor, which was only discovered in 1990, at a distance of 200 million light years.
Virgo Infall
The local group is moving away from the central Virgo galaxy cluster at about 1,000 km / s. At a distance of about 65 million light years, this speed is lower than would be expected according to Hubble's law . In relation to the overall expansion of the universe , the Milky Way and the local group therefore pile Virgo move on to . This phenomenon is called Virgo Infall .
Galaxy clusters and star clusters in the Virgo supercluster
| Surname | Distance from the local group (in million light years ) |
|---|---|
| Local group | - |
| Maffei group | 6-12 |
| Sculptor group | 10 |
| M81 group | 10-11 |
| M83 group (also NGC-5128 group) | 12-17 |
| Canes Venatici I group (also M94 group) | 13-18 ( M94 ) |
| NGC-4631 group | 25th |
| Leo I group | 35 ( M96 ) |
| Dorado group | 48–60 ( NGC 1553 / NGC 1566 ) |
| Fornax cluster of galaxies | 60 |
| Virgo Galaxy Clusters | 65 |
| Leo II group | 70 ( NGC 3607 ) |
| Ursa Major Galaxy Clusters | 75 |
| Virgo III group | 65–82 ( NGC 5569 / NGC 5713 ) |
| Eridanus cluster of galaxies | 69–100 ( NGC 1300 / NGC 1232 ) |
The Virgo supercluster within the structure of the universe
