Supercluster

A map of the superclusters and voids nearest to Earth

A supercluster is a large group of smaller galaxy clusters or galaxy groups;[1] they are among the largest known structures in the universe. The Milky Way is part of the Local Group galaxy group (which contains more than 54 galaxies), which in turn is part of the Virgo Supercluster, which is part of the Laniakea Supercluster, which is part of the Pisces–Cetus Supercluster Complex.[2] The large size and low density of superclusters means that they, unlike clusters, expand with the Hubble expansion. The number of superclusters in the observable universe is estimated to be 10 million.[3]

  1. ^ Cain, Fraser (4 May 2009). "Local Group". Universe Today. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  2. ^ Gibney, Elizabeth (2014-09-03). "Earth's new address: 'Solar System, Milky Way, Laniakea'". Nature. doi:10.1038/nature.2014.15819. ISSN 1476-4687. S2CID 124323774.
  3. ^ "The Universe within 14 billion Light Years". Atlas of the Universe. Retrieved 6 December 2015.