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.

---

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

---

Etymology

Origin of Great Attractor

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

“We now see the Great Attractor as the downtown region of the supercluster that we live in — an overall entity that our team has called the Laniakea Supercluster,” Dr. Tully said.

From New York Times

The discoveries occurred as the scientists were investigating the region's close proximity to the Great Attractor, a gravity anomaly in intergalactic space.

From Reuters

Instead of downhill valleys that attract water flow, our universe has something called the "Great Attractor."

From Washington Post

In the case of Laniakea, this gravitational focal point is called the Great Attractor, and influences the motions of our Local Group of galaxies and all others throughout our supercluster.

From Scientific American

“The Great Attractor is certainly an important part of the cause of our motion,” Dr. Tully said.

From New York Times