Uploaded January 2024 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
The Great Attractor is a gravitational anomaly that influences the motion of galaxies in the known universe, causing them to move towards a common focal point. Discovered in the 1970s during the study of Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), the universe's overall homogeneity was contrasted by warmer and colder regions formed as galaxies converged into clusters and superclusters over billions of years. While the universe appears homogeneous on average, it is hierarchical, with galaxies forming groups, clusters, and superclusters.
For example, the Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxy are part of the Local Group, which is gravitationally bound and falling towards a common point. Local groups collectively move towards the center of larger structures like the Virgo Supercluster and the even more extensive Laniakea Supercluster, home to thousands of galaxies. The Great Attractor is a gravitational point towards which all galaxies, including the Milky Way, move in addition to the normal Hubble flow.
The Great Attractor is a gravitational anomaly that influences the motion of galaxies in the known universe, causing them to move towards a common focal point. Discovered in the 1970s during the study of Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), the universe's overall homogeneity was contrasted by warmer and colder regions formed as galaxies converged into clusters and superclusters over billions of years. While the universe appears homogeneous on average, it is hierarchical, with galaxies forming groups, clusters, and superclusters.
For example, the Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxy are part of the Local Group, which is gravitationally bound and falling towards a common point. Local groups collectively move towards the center of larger structures like the Virgo Supercluster and the even more extensive Laniakea Supercluster, home to thousands of galaxies. The Great Attractor is a gravitational point towards which all galaxies, including the Milky Way, move in addition to the normal Hubble flow.
