We are beginning to realize how little we know about the
universe as we continue to explore it. For example, the number of galaxies in
the universe is still unknown, even though the consensus is that there are
roughly 200,000 billion galaxies in the known universe.
However, given we’ve only seen a small portion of the
universe, this number might grow tremendously. Our Galaxy, the Milky Way,
includes at least 400 billion stars, and the number of planets orbiting those
stars is unfathomable.
Furthermore, the Milky Way galaxy has a diameter of 105,000
light-years and a diameter of 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 kilometres
(approximately 621,371,000,000,000,000 miles). In other words, the Milky Way
Galaxy is an extremely large place, and mapping it will take much better technology
and more research.
Scientists, on the other hand, haven’t been sitting around
doing anything. They’ve already started tracing the Milky Way’s physical plane
in the cosmos. They have a much better knowledge of our physical, cosmic
address after collecting data from over 8,000 galaxies in the Milky Way’s
vicinity.
Astronomers created a map of each Galaxy’s movement and
position in space. They discovered that our Milky Way galaxy is part of a
massive system that holds thousands of other galaxies together in what is known
as a supercluster of Galaxies.
Researchers have revealed that the Milky Way is part of a
gigantic cosmic structure named Laniakea, which spans 500 million light-years
and has 100,000,000,000,000,000 Stars spread among 100,000 150,000 galaxies.
Radio telescopes were utilized to map the movements of a large number of nearby
galaxies.
The name laniakea means ‘immense heaven’ in Hawaiian, from
lani, meaning ‘heaven,’ and ākea, meaning ‘spacious, immeasurable.’ The
Laniakea Supercluster, according to the most recent data, has roughly 100,000
galaxies spread out across 160 megaparsecs (520 million light-years).
It is made up of four subparts that were formerly
identified as independent superclusters:
The Milky Way is located within the Virgo Supercluster.
Supercluster Hydra-Centaurus
Laniakea’s core gravitational point, near Norma, is known
as the Great Attractor.
Hydra Supercluster, also known as Antlia Wall.
Centaurus Supercluster is a supercluster in the
constellation Centaurus.
Supercluster Pavo-Indus.
The Fornax Cluster (S373), Dorado, and Eridanus clouds are
all part of the Southern Supercluster.
Astronomers have discovered that Laniakea is not
gravitationally bound, meaning that it will disperse rather than remain as an
overdensity in comparison to its surroundings. Laniakea, unlike its constituent
clusters, is expected to be ripped apart by dark energy, according to
astronomers.
