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Laniakea: size, dimension and comparison

The adopted reference is about 517.93 million light-years.

extent of the velocity basin; model

A light-year is a distance: how far light travels in one year. Here, those distances are counted in millions.

A region defined by the collective motions of galaxies.

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Laniakea, interpreted illustration
Interpreted illustration · dimension stated in the fact sheet.

What does this number measure?

A region defined by the collective motions of galaxies. Laniakea is a velocity basin identified from galactic flows. This model describes large-scale organisation; its outline is neither a wall nor a material boundary.

Compare the stated dimensions

The comparison uses the number in each fact sheet: altitude, height, diameter, length or distance, depending on the reference. Two values in metres do not necessarily describe the same property.

Compare with CfA Great Wall in the explorer →

Source and limitations

Catalogue order of magnitude; a source is provided, but this measurement has not been individually audited.

Laniakea: a conceptual diagram of the velocity basin; approximate flow lines and model boundary, not a photograph.