Great Attractor

American  

noun

1. a vast concentration of matter whose gravitational pull alters the direction and speed of the Milky Way and other galaxies as they spread apart in the expanding universe posited by the big bang theory.

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Great Attractor British  

noun

1. astronomy a large mass, possibly a gigantic cluster of galaxies, postulated to explain the fact that many galaxies appear to be moving towards a particular point in the sky

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Etymology

Origin of Great Attractor

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

One explanation for the observation would be that galaxies are being pulled toward a concentration of mass so huge that it would make the Great Attractor look like a joke.

From Time Magazine Archive

Even at the low end, dark matter's dominant gravity largely accounts for the existence of galaxies and their assemblage into huge structures known as the Great Wall and the Great Attractor.

From Time Magazine Archive