Universe, Vol. 11, Pages 167: Galaxy Superclusters and Their Complexes in the Cosmic Web

Universe doi: 10.3390/universe11060167

Authors:
Maret Einasto

The richest and largest structures in the cosmic web are galaxy superclusters, their complexes (associations of several almost connected very rich superclusters), and planes. Superclusters represent a special environment where the evolution of galaxies and galaxy groups and clusters differs from the evolution of these systems in a low-density environment. The richest galaxy clusters reside in superclusters. The richest superclusters in the nearby Universe form a quasiregular pattern with the characteristic distance between superclusters 120–140 h−1 Mpc. Moreover, superclusters in the nearby Universe lie in two huge perpendicular planes with the extent of several hundreds of megaparsecs, the Local Supercluster plane and the Dominant supercluster plane. The origin of these patterns in the supercluster distribution is not yet clear, and it is an open question whether the presence of such structures can be explained within the ΛCDM cosmological model. This review presents a brief story of superclusters, their discovery, definitions, main properties, and large-scale distribution.

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Maret Einasto www.mdpi.com