It has been long known that galaxies tend to congregate into clusters. In the last 25 years it has also been realised that clusters of galaxies also cluster into vast sheets and filaments. These are commonly known as superclusters. The supercluster which we are a member of - the Virgo supercluster - is a fairly minor supercluster. Many others are known about which are far larger - most notably the Shapley supercluster and the Horologium supercluster which are hundreds of millions of light years across.
Below is a list of most of the major known superclusters within 1 billion light years. With one exception, all of these superclusters contain at least 3 rich clusters of galaxies (Abell clusters) together with hundreds of other poorer clusters. Note that our own supercluster only contains one really rich cluster (the Virgo cluster), and hence is too insignificant to make it onto this list.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Common Name Equatorial Supergal Redshift Dis Size Con Abell clusters in the supercluster
Coords Coords z Mly Mly
RA Dec L° B°
Centaurus 13.0 -32 148 -7 0.014 194 150 Cen-Hya 1060, 3526, 3565, 3574, 3581.
Perseus-Pisces 02.5 +40 341 -8 0.016 222 100 Per-And 262, 347, 426.
Pavo-Indus 20.6 -37 230 +32 0.017 235 100 Ind-Mic 3656, 3698, 3742.
Coma 12.4 +24 91 -1 0.021 290 100 Com-Leo 1367, 1656.
Phoenix 00.9 -48 249 -11 0.027 372 150 Phe-Scl 2731, 2806, 2836, 2870, 2877, 2896.
Hercules (a) 16.4 +37 77 +50 0.030 413 100 Her-CBo 2162, 2197, 2199.
Leo 11.1 +23 85 -18 0.032 440 150 Leo-Uma 999, 1016, 1142, 1177, 1185, 1228, 1257, 1267.
Shapley (a) 13.9 -32 151 +3 0.037 507 100 Cen-Hya 3570, 3571, 3575, 3578.
Hercules (b) 15.8 +16 109 +45 0.037 507 150 Her-Ser 2052, 2063, 2107, 2147, 2148, 2151, 2152.
06.0 -27 255 -73 0.038 521 200 Col-Lep 548, 3341, 3374, 3381, 3390.
23.5 +15 306 +24 0.040 548 100 Peg 2572, 2589, 2593, 2657.
01.1 0 298 -3 0.043 588 100 Cet 76, 119, 147, 168.
01.4 +15 312 -2 0.044 601 150 Psc 160, 193, 195.
Shapley (b) 13.4 -30 147 -2 0.048 654 200 Cen-Hya 1631, 1644, 1709, 1736, 3528, 3530, 3532, 3542, 3553,
3554, 3555, 3556, 3558, 3559, 3560, 3562, 3564, 3566,
3572, 3577.
Sculptor 23.7 -36 257 +5 0.049 668 100 Scl 2717, 4008, 4012, 4013, 4059.
10.3 -5 110 -40 0.050 681 200 Sex 912, 930, 957, 970, 978, 979, 993.
06.3 -53 215 -53 0.051 694 100 Pup-Car 3380, 3391, 3395.
11.5 -4 115 -22 0.052 708 100 Leo-Vir 1216, 1308, 1334.
15.2 +6 120 +34 0.052 708 150 Vir-Ser 2020, 2023, 2040, 2055.
21.9 -7 273 +40 0.055 747 100 Aqr 2366, 2399, 2415.
02.3 -8 294 -22 0.057 774 150 Cet 303, 326, 358.
Ursa Major 11.8 +56 59 +4 0.058 787 200 UMa 1270, 1291, 1318, 1324, 1377, 1383, 1436, 1452, 1507.
17.6 +78 31 +27 0.058 787 150 Dra-UMi 2248, 2256, 2271, 2296, 2309.
20.2 -56 218 +16 0.058 787 100 Tel 3651, 3667, 3685.
21.8 -18 260 +36 0.058 787 100 Cap 2361, 2362, 2372, 2382, 2383, 2401.
Pisces-Cetus (a) 00.6 -21 275 -1 0.060 813 350 Scl-Cet 14, 27, 74, 85, 86, 87, 114, 117, 121, 126, 133, 151,
2660, 2683, 2716, 2734, 2794, 2800, 2824, 4049, 4053.
16.2 +52 59 +42 0.060 813 150 Dra-Her 2149, 2168, 2169, 2184.
Bootes 13.9 +24 96 +20 0.061 826 150 Boo 1781, 1795, 1825, 1827, 1828, 1831.
01.1 -49 248 -13 0.063 852 100 Phe 2841, 2854, 2889.
Pisces-Cetus (b) 01.5 +17 315 -4 0.063 852 200 Psc-Ari 150, 152, 154, 158, 171, 179, 225, 257, 292, 311.
03.2 -24 278 -37 0.065 879 150 Eri-For 419, 428, 3094, 3095.
00.9 0 296 0 0.066 892 100 Cet 102, 116, 134.
Horologium 03.5 -48 247 -37 0.067 905 550 Hor-Eri 3004, 3009, 3074, 3078, 3089, 3093, 3098, 3100, 3104,
3106, 3107, 3108, 3109, 3110, 3111, 3112, 3116, 3120,
3122, 3123, 3125, 3126, 3128, 3133, 3135, 3140, 3145,
3158, 3164, 3195, 3202, 3223, 3225, 3266, 3301, 3312.
04.7 -21 282 -59 0.067 905 200 Eri-Lep 500, 514, 524, 3260.
23.6 +20 312 +23 0.068 918 100 Peg 2618, 2630, 2637.
01.0 -66 231 -15 0.069 931 150 Tuc 2819, 2859, 2864.
11.2 +4 105 -24 0.072 970 150 Leo 1149, 1171, 1205, 1238.
Corona Borealis 15.4 +30 90 +40 0.072 970 250 CBo 2005, 2019, 2056, 2061, 2065, 2067, 2079, 2089, 2092,
2122, 2124.
22.7 -17 269 +25 0.072 970 100 Aqr 2456, 2459, 2462, 2480, 2492.
10.6 +4 101 -32 0.073 983 100 Sex 1024, 1032, 1066.
11.2 +41 70 -8 0.074 996 50 UMa 1173, 1187, 1190, 1203.
12.0 +32 82 -3 0.074 996 100 UMa-Com 1365, 1423, 1480.
14.0 +27 93 +21 0.074 996 150 Boo 1775, 1800, 1873, 1898.
21.9 -55 230 +10 0.075 1008 200 Ind 3771, 3785, 3796, 3806, 3822, 3825, 3826, 3886.
Column 1: Usual name for the supercluster if it has one.
Column 2: Right Ascension of the supercluster for epoch 2000.
Column 3: Declination of the supercluster for epoch 2000.
Column 4: Supergalactic longitude.
Column 5: Supergalactic latitude.
Column 6: The supercluster's redshift.
Column 7: Distance to the supercluster in millions of light years, assuming that
the Hubble constant is 70 km/s/Mpc.
Column 8: Size of the supercluster in millions of light years. This is a rough
figure based on the distribution of the Abell clusters in the supercluster.
Column 9: Constellation(s) in which the majority of the supercluster lies.
Column 10: All known Abell clusters that make up the supercluster.
References:
Struble M, Rood H, (1999), A compilation of redshifts and velocity
dispersions for ACO clusters, Astrophys J, 125, 35.
Abell G, Corwin H, Olowin R, (1989), A catalogue of Rich Clusters of
Galaxies, Astrophys J Supp, 70, 1.
West M, (1989), On the morphology of superclusters, Astrophys J, 347, 610.
Zucca et al, (1993), All-sky catalogs of superclusters of Abell-ACO
clusters, Astrophys J, 407, 470.
Fairall A, (1998), Large-scale structures in the Universe, Wiley.
This is a map of all of the Abell galaxy clusters listed in the above table plotted onto the supergalactic plane. It shows many of the major superclusters within a billion light years. Yellow superclusters lie close to the supergalactic plane, while blue superclusters lie below it, and red ones lie above it. Note the highly concentrated Shapley Supercluster, and the very extensive Horologium Supercluster. The obscured region down the centre of the map is where the plane of our galaxy prevents us from seeing out into the universe.
