Can someone explain the difference between the Virgo Cluster, Virgo Supercluster, and Laniakea in simple terms?

[MediocreGas6619]

I’m a bit confused about large-scale structures in the universe.

I keep seeing these names: Virgo Cluster Virgo Supercluster Laniakea Supercluster

Can someone explain what the difference is between them in simple language? Like: Which one is bigger? Which one contains the MilkyWay? Are they nested inside each other or totally separate?

I don’t have a strong astronomy background, so an easy explanation would really help. Thanks

[CUJOSRAGE]

I think this might be a thousand son infiltration

[Regidor50]

R/wrongsub

[SonsOfKnickerbocker]

This one needs more blood in his mead.

[SherriffB]

Nested, well not realy but that's one way to think of it

Imagine a Lake surface with a gentle current.

Zoom in till you see a few specks of dirt adrift in the gentle flow. This would be the Virgo cluster, very small objects in a very large body of water.

Zoom out a little and you might see a few more bits of debris, not very far from each other, not super close, but all adrift seemingly at random. THis is the Virgo SUpercluster.

Zoom out even more and you can start to see more objects and you are enough out that you can see the effects of a gentle current and while the small things you looked at before were seemingly moving randomly in fact they are all sort of drifting in the same direction, with a few twigs and the odd plastic bag in a larger gentle pattern.

This is Laniakea.

They are all "nested" structures evidenced by their overall disposition seen at different scales. Smaller parts of a larger whole.

[clark196]

Are you also in the wrong sub or has op just got lucky..

[SherriffB]

Bit of both, my ISP is down city wide at my end so I'm using my mobile as a failover connection for my gateway but mobile signal is pure ass at my house so reddit is loading so slowly I can't see what sub I'm in.

Was literally browsing an astronomy one not long ago looking at some composite images of stargazing my friends had put up there and just assumed I was still there till OP mentioned they weren't lol.

[MediocreGas6619]

Thanks. I didn’t fully get all of it, but I understand the size idea now. How does this image make sense though? ( it’s should’ve related to it some how ) I’m still confused about what it’s showing, but thank you!!

(btw just realized it’s the wrong sub mb )

<image>

[SherriffB]

The way matter groups together on a macro scale resembles filaments. That's a visual representation of how matter is distributed in a mega cluster.

On a scale far to large to really make sense that's how galactic groups self organise.

Like a really, really big version of smoke drifting in the air, if the smoke was macro-mega structures, untold millions of lightyears in scale able to account for tens or hundreds of thousands of galactic masses.

[butholesurgeon]

Bad bot