A recent study published in the journal Nature Astronomy has revealed that our galaxy, the Milky Way, may be part of an even larger cosmic structure called the Shapley Concentration. Led by astronomer R. Brent Tully of the University of Hawai’i, a team surveyed the motions of over 56,000 galaxies to understand these basins and their distribution in space.
According to Tully, our universe is like a giant web, with galaxies lying along filaments and clustering at nodes where gravitational forces pull them together. The Shapley Concentration is thought to be a “basin of attraction” that contains many clusters and groups of galaxies, with dark matter lending its gravitational influence to the region.
The team’s research suggests that the Milky Way could be part of this larger structure, which may have a volume 10 times greater than Laniakea. The Shapley Concentration was first observed in the 1930s by astronomer Harlow Shapley and appears along the direction of motion of the Local Group of galaxies.
The study’s findings provide new insights into the distribution of matter throughout the universe and challenge current cosmological models. Tully’s team used redshift surveys to map the radial motion, velocities, and other related motions of galaxies in the region, taking into account the inferred existence of dark matter.
The results should give ever more precise 3D maps of these regions of space, providing greater insight into the distribution of all matter throughout the universe. The discovery presents a challenge to current cosmological models, highlighting the need for even larger surveys to map the full extent of these immense basins.
Source: https://phys.org/news/2024-10-milky-larger-laniakea.html