Milky Way Could Be Part of a Much Larger Cosmic Structure, Possibly Linked to the Shapley Concentration

Recent
research
has
led
to
a
new
understanding
of
our
galaxy’s
position
within
the
universe.
A
fresh
study
suggests
that
the
Milky
Way
may
reside
in
a
much
larger
“basin
of
attraction”
than
previously
assumed.
This
discovery
challenges
what
we
know
about
our

galactic
surroundings,
revealing
that
the
supercluster
which
houses
the

Milky
Way
could
be
up
to
10
times
bigger
than
current
estimates.
Basins
of
attraction
(BOAs)
are
gravitational
regions,
where
objects
are
drawn
towards
a
massive
centre.
These
BOAs
can
be
visualised
as
layers
within
layers.
For
instance,
our
Solar
System
is
part
of
the
Milky
Way,
which
belongs
to
a
group
of
galaxies
called
the
Local
Group,
which
itself
is
within
larger
structures
such
as
the
Virgo
Cluster
and
the
Laniākea
Supercluster.

The
Discovery
of
a
Larger
Structure

According
to
a
new

study
published
in
Nature
Astronomy,
the
Milky
Way
may
be
part
of
an
even
larger
structure
than
Laniākea,
potentially
connected
to
the
Shapley
Concentration.
The
Shapley
Concentration
is
a
massive
cluster
of
galaxies
that
has
long
been
known
but
wasn’t
previously
thought
to
affect
our
galaxy.
This
new
research
suggests
that
it
might
have
a
significant
gravitational
influence,
extending
far
beyond
what
we
have
mapped
so
far.

Challenging
Our
Understanding

Dr
Noam
Libeskind,
Cosmologist
at
the
Leibniz
Institute
for
Astrophysics
Potsdam,
notes
that
expanding
our
knowledge
of
the
universe
reveals
more
connected
and
larger
cosmic
structures
than
we
imagined.
The
research
team,
led
by
scientists
who
initially
discovered
Laniākea
in
2014,
estimates
there
is
around
a
60%
chance
that
the
Milky
Way
is
part
of
this
larger
BOA.
Dr
Ehsan
Kourkchi,

Astronomer
at
the
University
of
Hawai’i,
highlighted
the
challenges
of
cosmic
surveys,
stating
that
even
the
most
advanced
tools
might
not
be
enough
to
capture
the
full
picture
of
our
universe.