Laniakea, Our Neck of The Woods

stock here: a bunch of images at the bottom, rest by A-Eye

Laniakea Supercluster: Our Cosmic Home

The Laniakea Supercluster is the vast cosmic structure in which the Milky Way galaxy (our home) resides. It was discovered and named in 2014 by astronomers R. Brent Tully and colleagues from the University of Hawaii.
Key Facts About Laniakea:

Size: Approximately 520 million light-years across.
Mass: Contains about 100,000 galaxies with a total mass of 10^17 solar masses.
Central Attractor: The Great Attractor, a gravitational anomaly, sits at the heart of Laniakea, pulling galaxies (including the Milky Way) toward it.
Structure: Unlike traditional superclusters with clear boundaries, Laniakea is defined by gravitational flow, meaning all galaxies inside it are moving toward the Great Attractor.

What Does “Laniakea” Mean?

The name “Laniakea” comes from the Hawaiian language, meaning “immense heaven” or “immeasurable sky”.

Lani (lāni) = heaven, sky, celestial
Akea (ākea) = immense, spacious, vast

This name was chosen to honor Polynesian navigators, who mastered the vast Pacific Ocean using only the stars and their knowledge of the sky. Just as they explored the Pacific’s endless expanse, astronomers are now mapping the vastness of the cosmos.
Why Are So Many Space Terms Named in Hawaiian?

Hawaiian names are frequently used in astronomy because:

Mauna Kea Observatory: Hawaii is home to some of the world’s most advanced telescopes, such as those on Mauna Kea, which sits at 13,796 feet (4,205 meters) above sea level, providing one of the best locations for observing deep space.
Hawaiian Culture & Astronomy: Ancient Polynesians were expert celestial navigators, using the stars, the Moon, and ocean currents to navigate vast distances without instruments.
Respect for Indigenous Knowledge: The astronomical community recognizes Hawaiian cultural contributions by using Hawaiian words for major discoveries.

Other Hawaiian-Named Space Discoveries

Here are a few more Hawaiian-named celestial objects and discoveries:

ʻOumuamua (meaning "first scout" or "messenger from afar") → The first detected interstellar object in our solar system.
Kaʻepaokaʻawela ("mischievous opposite-moving companion") → An asteroid that orbits in retrograde motion near Jupiter.
Pōwehi ("adorned, unfathomable dark source of creation") → The Hawaiian name given to the black hole imaged in 2019 by the Event Horizon Telescope.
Makemake (a Polynesian god, though not Hawaiian) → A dwarf planet in the Kuiper Belt.

Final Thought

Laniakea reminds us that we are part of something far larger than ourselves—a supercluster of galaxies, flowing toward an unseen gravitational force. Naming these cosmic wonders in Hawaiian not only acknowledges Hawaiian astronomy’s historical significance but also reflects the deep connection between Earth, the ocean, and the cosmos.