Research results show that the Earth is part of a much larger cosmic structure called the 'gravitational basin' than previously thought
A study to map the universe by analyzing the movements of 56,000 galaxies has revealed that the supercluster to which the Milky Way is thought to belong may only be part of a large-scale structure in the universe called the Basin of Attraction (BOA), which is up to 10 times larger than the Milky Way.
Identification of basins of attraction in the local Universe | Nature Astronomy
New map of the universe shows mega structures | AIP
https://www.aip.de/en/news/cosmography-mega-structures/
UH astronomers: Our cosmic neighborhood may be 10x larger | University of Hawaiʻi System News
https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2024/09/27/cosmic-neighborhood-may-be-10x-larger/
The Milky Way could be part of a much larger 'cosmic neighborhood' than we realized, challenging our understanding of the universe | Live Science
https://www.livescience.com/space/cosmology/the-milky-way-could-be-part-of-a-much-larger-cosmic-neighborhood-than-we-realized-challenging-our-understanding-of-the-universe
The Earth orbits the solar system together with Mars and Mercury, and the solar system is located in the Milky Way galaxy. The Milky Way and the neighboring Andromeda galaxy belong to a group called
The Laniakea Supercluster, named after the Hawaiian word for 'infinite heaven,' is a vast region with a diameter of about 160 million parsecs (about 520 million light years) and containing 100,000 galaxies. However, a paper published in the academic journal Nature Astronomy on September 27, 2024, suggested that it may be part of a 'basin of attraction (BOA)' that is up to 10 times larger.
The BOA is defined as a region that would contract to a single point if the universe did not expand.
'Our universe is like a giant web, with galaxies moving along filaments, gathering at nodes created by the force of gravity. Just as water flows through a basin, galaxies also flow through gravitational basins in the universe,' said Richard Brent Tully, an astronomer at the University of Hawaii. 'The discovery of such a giant cosmic basin could fundamentally change our understanding of the structure of the universe.'
In the study, a team of researchers from the University of Hawaii, University of Jerusalem, and University of Paris-Saclay analysed the relative motions of more than 56,000 galaxies to create a map of the universe surrounding the Milky Way.
Below is a visualization of the 15 potential BOAs the research team identified, with the Laniakea Supercluster outlined in red.
Previously, it was thought that the Milky Way was associated with the Laniakea Supercluster, or BOA, but this study concludes that it may actually be part of the
If this is true, the researchers say, it would mean that the Laniakea Supercluster doesn't exist at all, and that the Milky Way is merely a peripheral entity of the Shapley Supercluster.
This is not the first time the Shapley Supercluster has been discovered, but it has not previously been thought to be related to the Milky Way.
So far, the researchers estimate there's a 60% chance that the Milky Way belongs to the Shapley Supercluster. This uncertainty stems from errors in measuring the speed of distant galaxies and the presence of dark matter, which is unobservable but exerts a huge gravitational effect on large areas of the universe. The team plans to continue their work to map the largest structure in the universe.
'As we look further into the universe, it may not be surprising to see that our supercluster is more connected and vast than we thought,' said Noam Libeskind of the University of Hawaii, one of the study's authors. 'But it's exciting to discover that we may be part of a much larger structure. What we've found so far is just a clue; we need to do more observations to determine the size of our supercluster.'
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in Science, Posted by log1l_ks