Our Local Group's Microwave Background Radiation dipole

In summary, the Local Group's dipole for Microwave Background Radiation is not pointed towards the center of mass for our Local Supercluster. This is because there is a greater flow towards the "Great Attractor", which is a concentration of more superclusters with the Norma cluster at its center. The motion towards the Great Attractor is about 600 km/s, which is more visible in the CMB dipole compared to the virgocentric flow of about 200 km/s. This differs from a Virgocentric infall and is also contradictory to the direction of the Norma supercluster. The Hydra-Centaurus supercluster is believed to be the main component of the Great Attractor, but the Norma cluster may also
  • #1
zankaon
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Why isn't our Local Group's dipole for Microwave Background Radiation pointed towards the center of mass for our Local Supercluster? Clusters are suppose to be just infalling towards gravitational well of it's supercluster. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_microwave_background"
See anisotropy velocity relative to CMB section.
 
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  • #2
Because there is a greater flow than this virgocentric flow. It takes the Virgo supercluster and the Hydra-Centaurus supercluster towards the "Great Attractor". This is probably a concentration of more superclusters having the Norma cluster at its center. The virgocentric flow takes place within this "river" of matter and galaxies and is about 200 km/s. However, the motion towards the Great Attractor is about 600 km/s, and is therefore one that is more visible in the CMB dipole.
 
  • #3
We could be accelerating towards the centre of the Virgo cluster, but orbiting around it.

Our motion relative to the CMB (allowing for our motion around the galactic centre) is roughly orthogonal to the direction of the centre of the Virgo cluster, just like the direction of the Earth's motion is more or less orthogonal to the direction of the Sun.

Garth
 
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  • #4
zankaon said:
Why isn't our Local Group's dipole for Microwave Background Radiation pointed towards the center of mass for our Local Supercluster? Clusters are suppose to be just infalling towards gravitational well of it's supercluster. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_microwave_background"
See anisotropy velocity relative to CMB section.

Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Attractor"
has a nice 2MASS etc. infrared sky. On large magnification, our Local Group's dipole in relation to CMB frame of reference is in direction of Hydra/Centaurus s.c.s at redshift Z .016 and .02. This is somewhat off from Shapely concentration at Z .048. This differs markedly from a Virgocentric infall. The image refers also to Norma s.c. Z .016 and nearby supposed G.A. which differs markedly from CMB dipole - contradiction? Also the text refers to Norma being near to Hydra/Centaurus - another contradiction?
 
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  • #6
I don't think this is correct. Carroll & Ostlie in "An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics" mention that the Hydra-Centaurus supercluster is also being pulled by the Great Attactor. Same you can read in this page here: http://www.solstation.com/x-objects/greatatt.htm. In wikipedia you can read that it is currently assumed to have the Norma cluster in its center.
 

1. What is the Local Group's Microwave Background Radiation dipole?

The Local Group's Microwave Background Radiation dipole is a phenomenon observed in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation, which is the oldest light in the universe. It refers to the apparent motion of the CMB radiation in the sky, which is caused by the movement of our Local Group of galaxies through the universe.

2. How was the dipole discovered?

The dipole was first discovered in 1965 by scientists Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson using the Holmdel Horn Antenna in New Jersey. They were studying the CMB radiation and noticed a difference in temperature between opposite directions in the sky, indicating a dipole pattern.

3. What causes the dipole in the CMB radiation?

The dipole in the CMB radiation is caused by the Doppler effect, which is the change in the wavelength of light due to the relative motion between the source and the observer. In this case, the dipole is caused by the movement of our Local Group of galaxies through the universe at a speed of about 370 kilometers per second.

4. What does the dipole tell us about our place in the universe?

The dipole in the CMB radiation tells us that our Local Group of galaxies is not stationary in the universe, but is moving in a particular direction. This movement is relative to the rest of the universe and can give us information about the structure and dynamics of the universe on a larger scale.

5. How does the dipole affect other observations of the CMB radiation?

The dipole in the CMB radiation needs to be taken into account when studying other aspects of the CMB, such as its anisotropies or small variations in temperature. This is because the dipole can introduce errors in these observations if not properly accounted for. In fact, the dipole must be subtracted from the CMB data in order to obtain a more accurate understanding of the universe's early history.

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