astronomy

Hydra–Centaurus Supercluster

Hydra–Centaurus Supercluster is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Hydra–Centaurus Supercluster rather than just read about it. In short: The Hydra–Centaurus Supercluster (SCl 128), or the Hydra and Centaurus Superclusters, also known as Hydra–Centaurus concentration, is a supercluster in two parts that is the closest neighbour of the Virgo Supercluster. Its center is located about 39 Mpc (127 Mly) away, with it extending to a maximum distance of around 69 Mpc (225 Mly).

Key takeaways

Hydra–Centaurus Supercluster belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Hydra–Centaurus Supercluster to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Hydra–Centaurus Supercluster from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Hydra–Centaurus Supercluster (SCl 128), or the Hydra and Centaurus Superclusters, also known as Hydra–Centaurus concentration, is a supercluster in two parts that is the closest neighbour of the Virgo Supercluster. Its center is located about 39 Mpc (127 Mly) away, with it extending to a maximum distance of around 69 Mpc (225 Mly). Both Virgo and Hydra–Centaurus superclusters are connected and are sometimes considered a single structure, hence referred to as the Virgo–Hydra–Centaurus Supercluster (or sometimes simply the Centaurus Supercluster). They may reside in a larger Centaurus Wall, which also would contain elements of the Southern Supercluster or Fornax Wall, such as the Fornax Cluster. Based on a different definition of a supercluster, they would be smaller lobes of the even larger Laniakea Supercluster, which is a basin of attraction centered around the Great Attractor, as identified in 2014.

Physical characteristics

The supercluster includes four large galaxy clusters in the Centaurus part, also known as the "4 clusters'' filament, or ''4 clusters strand'':

Abell 3526 (Centaurus Cluster) Abell 3565 Abell 3574 Abell 3581 The filament which also includes the major cluster Abell S753 and exends up to around 260 Mly (80 Mpc) to reach the rich galaxy cluster Abell 3581.

Antlia Wall

The Antlia Wall, also known as the Antlia Strand, Hydra Wall, Hydra-Antlia wall, Hydra-Antlia extension, the Hydra-Antlia filament, or the Hydra and Antila extensions, is a filament that emerges from the Centaurus Cluster, passes under the Zone of Avoidance (ZOA) as the "Puppis filament", to link up the Lepus Cloud. This filament then passes through a region containing the NGC 1600 Group before crossing the boundary where the gravitional flows of galaxies between the Laniakea and Perseus–Pisces superclusters diverge to link up with the Perseus–Pisces supercluster at a distance of around 420 Mly (130 Mpc) from the Centaurus Cluster. The filament contains two major clusters:

Hydra Cluster (A1060) Antlia Cluster (AS0636) In 2014, it was revealed that the Antlia Wall, along with the rest of the Hydra–Centaurus Supercluster, is connected to the Perseus–Pisces Supercluster. Later in 2017, Pomarède et.al identified based on the flow of galaxies that the Antlia Wall along with the Lepus Cloud are part of a substantial filament known as the Centaurus–Puppis–PP Filament that extends around 420 Mly (130 Mpc) from the Centaurus Cluster all the way to the Perseus–Pisces supercluster. The Centaurus–Puppis–PP Filament along with the Southern Supercluster Strand which contains the Eridanus-Fornax-Dorado Filament and the Telescopium−Grus Cloud, are part of wall that makes up the front boundary of the Sculptor Void. Before 2017, it was not known that the Antlia Wall and the Lepus Cloud were part of the same structure, the Centaurus–Puppis–PP Filament. This is because the Centaurus–Puppis–PP Filament goes under the ZOA of the Milky Way, which caused parts of the filament to be obscured by the disk of the galaxy on the sky, resulting in the naming of the different visible pieces of filament.

Other clusters Apart from the central clusters, which are 150 to 200 million light years away, several smaller clusters belong to the group. Within the proximity of this supercluster lies the Great Attractor, dominated by the Norma Cluster (Abell 3627). This massive cluster of galaxies exerts a large gravitational force, causing all matter within 50 Mpc to experience a bulk flow of 600 km/s toward the Norma Cluster.

Laniakea A 2014 announcement says that the Centaurus Supercluster (Hydra–Centaurus) is just a lobe in a greater structure defined as a supercluster based on a different definition, Laniakea, which is a basin of attraction centered on the Great Attractor. That structure would also include the Virgo Supercluster, therefore including the Milky Way, where Earth resides. Follow-up studies still favored the traditional definition of superclusters as high-density regions such as Virgo and Hydra–Centaurus Superclusters, and proposed different terms for basins of attraction such as Laniakea. However, there is still no community consensus on an agreed definition of the term supercluster.

See also Abell catalogue Large-scale structure of the universe List of Abell clusters

References

External links Complete detail of Hydra Supercluster on atlasoftheuniverse.com Complete detail of Centaurus Supercluster on atlasoftheuniverse.com

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Hydra–Centaurus Supercluster

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Hydra–Centaurus Supercluster claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Hydra–Centaurus Supercluster before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Hydra–Centaurus Supercluster ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Hydra–Centaurus Supercluster

In research: Hydra–Centaurus Supercluster appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Hydra–Centaurus Supercluster in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Hydra–Centaurus Supercluster is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Galaxy superclusters, Hydra-Centaurus Supercluster, Laniakea Supercluster, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Hydra–Centaurus Supercluster outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Hydra–Centaurus Supercluster in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Hydra–Centaurus Supercluster means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Hydra–Centaurus Supercluster out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Hydra–Centaurus Supercluster in simple terms?

Why does Hydra–Centaurus Supercluster matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Hydra–Centaurus Supercluster?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Hydra–Centaurus Supercluster.