Laniakea Supercluster

Definition

The Laniakea Supercluster is a vast collection of galaxies, including our own Milky Way, bound together by gravity. It is one of the largest known structures in the observable universe, spanning hundreds of millions of light-years across and containing the equivalent of tens of thousands of Milky Way-sized galaxies.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The Laniakea Supercluster was first identified in 2014 by a team of astronomers, who mapped the motions of galaxies to delineate its boundaries.
2. Laniakea contains the equivalent of 100,000 Milky Way-sized galaxies and has a total mass of about 100 million billion times the mass of the Sun.
3. The Milky Way Galaxy, which contains our solar system, is located on the outskirts of the Laniakea Supercluster, near the border with the neighboring Virgo Supercluster.
4. The name 'Laniakea' comes from the Hawaiian words for 'immeasurable heaven,' reflecting the vast scale of this cosmic structure.
5. Understanding the structure and dynamics of the Laniakea Supercluster provides insights into the large-scale distribution of matter and the evolution of the universe.

Review Questions

• Explain how the Laniakea Supercluster relates to the concept of the Universe on the Large Scale (Topic 1.7).
  • The Laniakea Supercluster is a prime example of the large-scale structure of the universe, as described in Topic 1.7. As one of the largest known structures in the observable universe, Laniakea demonstrates how galaxies are organized into larger, gravitationally bound groups, forming a complex cosmic web. Studying the Laniakea Supercluster and its relationship to neighboring superclusters helps astronomers understand the distribution of matter and the dynamics of the universe on the grandest scales.
• Describe how the Laniakea Supercluster relates to the distribution of galaxies in space (Topic 28.3).
  • The Laniakea Supercluster is a key component in the observed distribution of galaxies in space, as outlined in Topic 28.3. As a massive collection of thousands of individual galaxies, Laniakea represents one of the largest and most prominent concentrations of matter in the universe. The arrangement of galaxies within Laniakea, as well as its position relative to neighboring superclusters, reflects the large-scale patterns and filamentary structure of the cosmic web. Analyzing the Laniakea Supercluster provides insights into the underlying processes that shape the distribution of galaxies on the largest scales.
• Evaluate the significance of the Laniakea Supercluster in our understanding of the composition of the universe (Topic 29.5).
  • The Laniakea Supercluster is a crucial piece of evidence in our understanding of the composition of the universe, as discussed in Topic 29.5. As one of the largest known structures in the cosmos, Laniakea is composed primarily of dark matter, which accounts for the majority of the mass in the universe. By studying the gravitational effects and motions of galaxies within Laniakea, astronomers can infer the presence and distribution of dark matter, which is the dominant component of the universe's matter content. Additionally, the Laniakea Supercluster provides a window into the large-scale structure and dynamics of the universe, helping to refine our models of the universe's composition and evolution.

Related terms

Supercluster: A supercluster is a large group of smaller galaxy clusters or galaxy groups, which are in turn made up of individual galaxies. Superclusters are the largest known structures in the universe.

Gravitational Attraction: Gravitational attraction is the fundamental force that governs the motion of objects in the universe, including the clustering of galaxies into larger structures like the Laniakea Supercluster.

Cosmic Web:

The cosmic web is the large-scale structure of the universe, composed of a network of filaments and voids, with galaxy clusters and superclusters like Laniakea situated along the filaments.