Cosmic structures · The most massive nearby supercluster

Shapley Supercluster

650 million light-years · Light crosses it in 161 million years

Across
160.0 million light-years
Vs Earth
1,600× Milky Way
Mass
10.0 quadrillion Suns

Open Shapley Supercluster in Cosmic Scale

In the app, Shapley Supercluster is part of the Beyond pack.

About

The Shapley Supercluster is the largest concentration of galaxies within about a billion light-years: more than 8,000 galaxies in dozens of clusters, with ESO 383-76 among them. Its gravity pulls on the whole Local Group.

Over 8,000 galaxies; its gravity pulls on the Milky Way from 650 million light-years away.

At a glance

Distance650 million light-years
GalaxiesOver 8,000
ClustersAbout 28
Named afterHarlow Shapley

Did you know

  1. Part of the Milky Way's motion through space comes from its pull.
  2. Harlow Shapley noticed a crowd of galaxies there in 1930.
  3. Its size depends on how it is defined; the value here follows ESA.