The new 3D map developed by Tully and colleagues shows that the Milky Way galaxy resides in the outskirts of the Laniakea Supercluster, which is about 520 million light-years wide. The supercluster is made up of about 100,000 galaxies with a total mass about 100 million billion times that of the sun.
We live in the Local Group, which is part of the Local Sheet next to the Local Void — we wanted to come up with something a little more exciting than 'Local
The name Laniakea was suggested by Nawa'a Napoleon, who teaches Hawaiian language at Kapiolani Community College in Hawaii. The name is meant to honor Polynesian navigators who used their knowledge of the heavens to make long voyages across the immensity of the Pacific Ocean.
Cristal Laser sculpture of Lanaika
Did you know that an american artist BATHSHEBA has built a cube that shows the galaxy flowlines that surround and define Laniakea, with our galaxy at the center. Laniakea holds about 100,000 galaxies, covers about 160 megaparsecs, and includes the Virgo Supercluster (ours), Hydra-Centaurus where the Great Attractor is, Pavo-Indus, and the Southern Supercluster. This map also shows several more supergalactic mass concentrations in case you wander further from home, including Hercules, Shapley, and Lepus.
