The Hydra–Centaurus Supercluster (SCl 128), or the Hydra and Centaurus Superclusters, was a previously defined

supercluster A supercluster is a large group of smaller galaxy clusters or galaxy groups; 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 tu ...

in two parts, which prior to the identification of

Laniakea Supercluster The Laniakea Supercluster (; Hawaiian language, Hawaiian for "open skies" or "immense heaven") or the Local Supercluster (LSC or LS) is the galaxy supercluster that is home to the Milky Way and approximately 100,000 other nearby galaxies. It w ...

in 2014 is the closest neighbour of the former

Virgo Supercluster The Local Supercluster (LSC or LS), or Virgo Supercluster is a formerly defined supercluster containing the Virgo Cluster and Local Group, which itself contains the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies, as well as others. At least 100 galaxy group ...

. Its center is located about away, with it extending to a maximum distance of around .

Physical characteristics

The supercluster includes four large

galaxy clusters A galaxy cluster, or a cluster of galaxies, is a structure that consists of anywhere from hundreds to thousands of galaxies that are bound together by gravity, with typical masses ranging from 1014 to 1015 solar masses. Clusters consist of galax ...

in the Centaurus part, also known as the "4 clusters'' filament, or '' 4 clusters strand'': * Abell 3526 (Centaurus Cluster) * Abell 3565 * Abell 3574 * Abell 3581 The filament which also includes the major cluster Abell S753 and exends up to around to reach the rich galaxy cluster Abell 3581.

Antlia Wall

The Antlia Wall, also known as the Antlia Strand, Hydra Wall, Hydra-Antlia wall, Hydra-Antlia extension, and the Hydra-Antlia filament, is a filament that emeges from the

Centaurus Cluster The Centaurus Cluster (A3526) is a cluster of hundreds of galaxies, located approximately 170 million light-years away in the Centaurus constellation. The brightest member galaxy is the elliptical galaxy NGC 4696 (~11m). The Centaurus clust ...

, passes under the Zone of Avoidance (ZOA) as the "Puppis filament", to link up the Lepus Cloud. This filament then passes though a region containing the NGC 1600 Group before crossing the boundary where the gravitional flows of galaxies between the Laniakea and Perseus–Pisces superclusters diverge to link up with the Perseus–Pisces supercluster at a distance of around from the Centaurus Cluster. The filament contains two major clusters: * Hydra Cluster (A1060) * Antlia Cluster (AS0636) In 2014, it was revealed that the Antlia Wall along with the rest of the Hydra–Centaurus supercluster is connected to the Perseus–Pisces Supercluster. Later in 2017, Pomarède et.al identified based on the flow of galaxies that the Antlia Wall along with the Lepus Cloud are part of a substantial filament known as the Centaurus–Puppis–PP Filament that extends around from the Centaurus Cluster all the way to the Perseus–Pisces supercluster. The Centaurus–Puppis–PP Filament along with the Southern Supercluster Strand which contains the Eridanus-Fornax-Dorado Filament and the Telescopium−Grus Cloud, are part of wall that makes up the front boundary of the

Sculptor Void Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable ...

. Before 2017, it was not known that the Antlia Wall and the Lepus Cloud were part of the same structure, the Centaurus–Puppis–PP Filament. This is because the Centaurus–Puppis–PP Filament goes under the ZOA of the

Milky Way The Milky Way or Milky Way Galaxy is the galaxy that includes the Solar System, with the name describing the #Appearance, galaxy's appearance from Earth: a hazy band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars in other arms of the galax ...

, which caused parts of the filament to be obscured by the disk of the galaxy on the sky, resulting in the naming of the different visible pieces of filament.

Other clusters

Apart from the central clusters, which are 150 to 200 million

light year A light-year, alternatively spelled light year (ly or lyr), is a unit of length used to express astronomical distance, astronomical distances and is equal to exactly , which is approximately 9.46 trillion km or 5.88 trillion mi. As defined by t ...

s away, several smaller clusters belong to the group. Within the proximity of this supercluster lies the Great Attractor, dominated by the Norma Cluster (Abell 3627). This massive cluster of galaxies exerts a large gravitational force, causing all matter within 50 Mpc to experience a bulk flow of 600 km/s toward the Norma Cluster.

Laniakea

A 2014 announcement says that the Centaurus Supercluster (Hydra–Centaurus) is just a lobe in a greater supercluster, Laniakea, that is centered on the Great Attractor. That supercluster would include the Virgo Supercluster, therefore including the

where Earth resides.

References

External links