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How big is the Virgo Supercluster?

The Virgo Supercluster is 280 zettametry

Introduction - The Enormous Universe and the Virgo Supercluster

Have you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered just how big the universe really is? Well, let’s take a journey together through the cosmos to understand the mind-boggling size of a very special part of the universe, the Virgo Supercluster.

What is the Virgo Supercluster?

The Virgo Supercluster, also known as the Local Supercluster, is a massive gathering of galaxies. It’s like a giant cosmic city, where each galaxy is a building. Our own galaxy, the Milky Way, is one of those buildings, along with the famous Andromeda galaxy and many others. In total, the Virgo Supercluster is home to at least 100 different galaxy groups and clusters.

Size of the Virgo Supercluster

Now let’s talk about how big this galactic city really is. The Virgo Supercluster spans a diameter of 33 megaparsecs. Now, that might not mean much to you, but in simpler terms, it’s approximately 110 million light-years across. To put that into perspective:

  • If you were traveling at the speed of light (which is the fastest speed possible in the universe), it would still take you 110 million years to travel from one end of the Virgo Supercluster to the other. - It’s about 650,000 times the diameter of our Milky Way galaxy. - It’s so large that it would take over 1.3 million Earths lined up side by side to span its diameter.

More About the Virgo Supercluster

Now that we know how big the Virgo Supercluster is, let’s talk about some other interesting facts:

  • The Virgo Supercluster is just one of about 10 million superclusters in the observable universe. Imagine how big the universe must be if the Virgo Supercluster, as big as it is, is just one of millions! - This Supercluster is part of a larger structure known as the Pisces-Cetus Supercluster Complex, which is like a huge cosmic neighborhood. - A 2014 study even suggested that the Virgo Supercluster might be just a part of an even larger supercluster, called Laniakea.

Wrapping Up

In the grand scale of the universe, even something as massive as the Virgo Supercluster is just a small piece of the puzzle. It’s a humbling reminder of how vast our universe is and how much there is still to explore. So, next time you look up at the night sky, remember: those tiny dots of light are just a small glimpse of the enormous Virgo Supercluster, our cosmic home.

Smaller By Category
Fornax Cluster
We live in the Virgo Supercluster. We're actually part of a small filament extending off of the Fornax Cluster. It's the second largest cluster within 100 million light-years!
Virgo Cluster
The Virgo Cluster is the largest cluster in the Virgo Supercluster, and is at its center. It was discovered in the late 1770s when its galaxies were cataloged as Messier objects.
Local Group
The Local Group is the cluster of galaxies that we live in. It contains about eighty galaxies and dwarf galaxies. The two largest galaxies are the Andromeda Galaxy and our own, the Milky Way.
Larger By Category
Distance to the Shapley Supercluster
The Shapley Supercluster is a supercluster of galaxies. It is one of the largest objects that collapses inward; anything larger expands with the universe.
Distance to the Great Attractor
The Great Attractor is pulling thousands of galaxies, including the Milky Way, towards itself. Its mass is tens of thousands of times greater than the Milky Way's.
Eridanus Supervoid
It's a region in the night sky that's slightly cooler than the normal CMB temperature. It's 2.7 K, or -270.5 °C. Barely above absolute zero. One hypothesis says it leads to a parallel universe. Whoa!