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Our own cluster of galaxies, the Local Group, is part of a larger collection of over one hundred clusters called the Local Supercluster. At the center of this supercluster is the Virgo cluster.
The Virgo cluster is also the largest cluster of the supercluster, with over two thousand galaxies of different sizes and shapes. If you look closely, you’ll find examples of spiral, elliptical, and irregular galaxies. Three giant elliptical galaxies are found at the center of the Virgo cluster.
At about 50 million light-years away, the Virgo cluster is the closest cluster to the Milky Way. And its mass is so great, our Local Group is being pulled toward the Virgo cluster at about 168 miles per second.
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