The Virgo Supercluster: Our Galaxial Supercluster
Our Virgo Galaxial Supercluster Inside The Local Group Of Galaxial Superclusters A map of the nearest (to Virgo) Superclusters Local Supercluster: contains the Local Group with our galaxy, the Milky Way. It also contains the Virgo cluster near its center, and is sometimes called the Virgo Supercluster. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supercluster :megaman: http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/virgo.html The Universe within 100 million Light Years The Virgo Supercluster The Local Supercluster Zoom In Contents page Zoom Out * Number of galaxy groups within 100 million light years = 200 * Number of large galaxies within 100 million light years = 2500 * Number of dwarf galaxies within 100 million light years = 50 000 * Number of stars within 100 million light years = 200 trillion About the Map Our galaxy is just one of thousands that lie within 100 million light years. The above map shows how galaxies tend to cluster into groups, the largest nearby cluster is the Virgo cluster a concentration of several hundred galaxies which dominates the galaxy groups around it. Collectively, all of these groups of galaxies are known as the Virgo Supercluster. The second richest cluster in this volume of space is the Fornax Cluster, but it is not nearly as rich as the Virgo cluster. Only bright galaxies are depicted on the map, our galaxy is the dot in the very centre.

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080708.html In the Heart of the Virgo Cluster Credit & Copyright: Günter Kerschhuber (Gahberg Observatory) Explanation: The Virgo Cluster of Galaxies is the closest cluster of galaxies to our Milky Way Galaxy. The Virgo Cluster is so close that it spans more than 5 degrees on the sky - about 10 times the angle made by a full Moon. With its heart lying about 70 million light years distant, the Virgo Cluster is the nearest cluster of galaxies, contains over 2,000 galaxies, and has a noticeable gravitational pull on the galaxies of the Local Group of Galaxies surrounding our Milky Way Galaxy. The cluster contains not only galaxies filled with stars but also gas so hot it glows in X-rays. Motions of galaxies in and around clusters indicate that they contain more dark matter than any visible matter we can see. Pictured above, the heart of the Virgo Cluster includes bright Messier galaxies such as Markarian's Eyes on the upper left, M86 just to the upper right of center, M84 on the far right, as well as spiral galaxy NGC 4388 at the bottom right.