The Great Attractor and the Shapley Concentration

2006/04/19 by Krzysztof Bolejko, Charles Hellaby
Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysics and Cosmic Phenomena #Cosmology and Gravitation Theories #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #astro-ph #gr-qc

paper · pdf · doi:10.1007/s10714-007-0573-5

published as Gen.Rel.Grav.40:1771-1790,2008 · MN2e LaTex, 9 pages, 14 figures

arxiv created 2006/04/19 · openalex publication_date 2008/01/08 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

We develop a non-linear relativistic model of the Shapley Concentration (SC) and its environs, including the Great Attractor (GA) and the Local Group (LG). We take the Shapley concentration as a major attractive centre, and we use the Lemaitre-Tolman model. We constrain our model with present day observations, plus the requirement that it have a physically reasonable evolution from small perturbations at last scattering. We investigate possible mass and velocity distributions, and we find that the peculiar velocity maximum near the SC is \~800 km/s inwards, the density between GA and SC must be about ~0.9 times background, the mass of the GA is probably 4 - 6 x 10¹5 M_sun, the SC's contribution to the LG motion is negligible, and the value of the cosmological constant is not significant on this scale.

Citations

• Seeking the Local Convergence Depth: The Abell Cluster Dipole Flow to 200 [CLC][ITAL]h[/ITAL][/CLC][TSUP]−1[/TSUP] M[CLC]pc[/CLC]
• The Dipole Anisotropy of the First All‐Sky X‐Ray Cluster Sample
• The Motions of Clusters of Galaxies and the Dipoles of the Peculiar Velocity Field
• Formation of a galaxy with a central black hole in the Lemaître-Tolman model