supercluster

American  

[soo-per-kluhs-ter] / ˈsu pərˌklʌs tər /

noun

Astronomy.

1. a cluster of open clusters.

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supercluster Scientific  

/ so̅o̅′pər-klŭs′tər /

1. A large group of neighboring clusters of galaxies, along with isolated galaxies scattered between them, the entire collection ranging in size from roughly 10 million to 1 billion light-years in diameter. The distribution of clusters is often close to that of a flattened sphere or disk. The Milky Way belongs to a galactic cluster known as the Local Group, which in turn is a member, along with about a hundred other such clusters, of the Virgo or Local Supercluster. There is some question as to whether gravity holds superclusters together and whether any larger structures exist within which superclusters are organized.

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Etymology

Origin of supercluster

First recorded in 1925–30; super- + cluster

Example Sentences

Urvi Parekh, Meta’s head of global energy, indicated the agreement would support Meta’s operations in the region as well as its artificial-intelligence supercluster in New Albany.

From Barron's • Jan. 9, 2026

Since 2020, it’s true that her fame level has risen from “star” to “molten cosmic supercluster from which galaxies are born.”

From New York Times • Feb. 3, 2024

But the biggest single entity scientists have identified is a supercluster of galaxies called the Hercules-Corona Borealis Great Wall, which is about 10 billion light-years wide.

From BBC • Jan. 11, 2024

The distribution of galaxies is highest in the centre of the imprint, a region called a supercluster, and around its edges — with giant voids between these areas.

From Nature • Aug. 11, 2019

In the lifetime of the universe there has apparently not been enough time for an initial gravitational nonuniformity to collect the amount of mass that seems to reside in the Virgo supercluster.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan