Web Guide: Encyclopedia

The galaxies in our Universe are not uniformly distributed; most of them are grouped together in groups and clusters (with groups containing up to 50 and clusters several thousand galaxies), and these groups and clusters and some isolated galaxies in turn form even larger structures called superclusters. Interspersed among these superclusters are large voids of space in which few galaxies exist.

Superclusters can range in size up to several 10⁸ light years. No clusters of supercluters are known, but the existence of bigger structures than supercluster is debated. See Large-scale structure of the cosmos for a discussion.

The following is a list of some nearby superclusters.

• Local Supercluster: contains the Local Group with our galaxy, the Milky Way. It also contains the Virgo cluster near its center, and is sometimes called the Virgo Supercluster.
• Hydra Supercluster[?]
• Centaurus Supercluster[?]
• Perseus-Pisces Supercluster[?]
• Pavo-Indus Supercluster[?]
• Coma Supercluster[?]
• Sculptor Superclusters[?]
• Hercules Superclusters[?]
• Leo Supercluster[?]
• Shapley Supercluster[?]
• Pisces-Cetus Supercluster[?]
• Bootes Supercluster[?]
• Horologium Supercluster[?]
• Corona Borealis Supercluster[?]

See also: Large Scale Structure of the Cosmos

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