A massive collection of galaxy clusters and groups connected by filaments of dark matter and gas, spanning hundreds of millions of light-years. Superclusters represent some of the largest known structures in the observable universe.
From Latin 'super' meaning 'above' or 'beyond' and 'clustrum' meaning 'bunch.' The term was coined in the 1950s when astronomers realized that galaxy clusters themselves were organized into even larger structures, creating a hierarchy of cosmic organization.
Our Local Group of galaxies is just a tiny suburb in the massive Laniakea Supercluster, which contains about 100,000 galaxies and is slowly being pulled toward an even more massive structure called the Great Attractor! Despite their enormous size, superclusters are actually being stretched apart by the expansion of the universe.
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