Cosmic structures · Cluster of galaxies
Virgo Cluster
54 million light-years · Light crosses it in 14 million years
- Across
- 14.4 million light-years
- Vs Earth
- 144× Milky Way
- Mass
- 1.2 quadrillion Suns
Open Virgo Cluster in Cosmic Scale
In the app, Virgo Cluster is part of the Beyond pack.
About
The Virgo Cluster is the nearest large cluster of galaxies, about 1,300 of them, and the heart of the Virgo Supercluster that contains the Local Group. M87 and its famous black hole sit near its centre.
About 1,300 galaxies, M87 among them, at the heart of our supercluster.
At a glance
| Distance | 54 million light-years |
|---|---|
| Galaxies | About 1,300, maybe 2,000 |
| Mass | About 1.2 quadrillion Suns |
| Brightest | M49 |
Did you know
- Its gravity slows the Milky Way's retreat from it as the universe expands.
- It is still forming, with several groups of galaxies falling in and merging.
- Dozens of its galaxies can be seen in a small telescope.
Real photo
- Part of the Virgo Cluster in one of Rubin Observatory's first images, 2025: about 10 million galaxies — NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA (CC BY 4.0) · source