Virgo Supercluster
| Virgo Supercluster | |
|---|---|
Distances from the Local Group for selected groups and clusters within the Virgo Supercluster | |
| Observation data (Epoch J2000) | |
| Constellation(s) | Virgo & Coma Berenices (Virgo Cluster) |
| Right ascension | 12h 31m |
| Declination | +12° 24′ |
| Number of galaxies | 47,000+ |
| Parent structure | Laniakea Supercluster |
| Major axis | 147 Mly (45 Mpc) |
| Minor axis | ≈26.1 Mly (8 Mpc) |
| Redshift | Doppler shift |
| Distance | 55.62 ± 8.395 Mly (17.053 ± 2.574 Mpc) (Virgo Cluster) |
| Binding mass | ~1.48×1015 M☉ |
| Luminosity (specify) | 3×1012 L☉ (total) |
| Other designations | |
| Local Supercluster, Virgo Supercluster, LSC, LS | |
The Virgo Supercluster (Virgo SC) or Local Supercluster (LSC or LS) is a supercluster of galaxies containing the Virgo Cluster and Local Group. The latter contains the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies, among others. The Virgo Supercluster is roughly centered on the Virgo Cluster, with the Local Group located near one edge and revolving around its center.
At least 100 galaxy groups and clusters are located within the supercluster diameter of 45 megaparsecs (147 million light-years; 1.39×1021 kilometres). The Virgo Supercluster is one of about 10 million superclusters in the observable universe, with the main body of the supercluster, the Virgo Strand, connecting the Hydra-Centaurus and the Perseus–Pisces Superclusters. It is part of the Pisces–Cetus Supercluster Complex, a very large galaxy filament.
A 2014 study indicated that the Virgo Supercluster is only a part of an even greater supercluster centered on the Great Attractor, the Laniakea Supercluster. This thus would subsume the former as a component under Laniakea as the newly defined local supercluster based on the definition for a supercluster as basins of attraction rather than large high-density regions as traditionally accepted. Basins of attraction such as Laniakea were later proposed to be called supercluster cocoons to distinguish them from smaller and traditional superclusters, such as Virgo, as high-density regions of the cosmic web.