Leo Cloud
| Leo Cloud | |
|---|---|
The Leo II Groups of galaxies | |
| Observation data (Epoch ) | |
| Parent structure | Virgo Supercluster |
| Major axis | |
| Minor axis | 7.9 Mpc (26 Mly) |
| Redshift | 1,200 km/s |
| Distance | |
| Other designations | |
| Leo II Cloud Complex, Leo II Cloud, Leo Cloud, Leo II Groups | |
The Leo II Groups, Leo II Cloud, or simply the Leo Cloud is a galaxy filament consisting of at least 18 galaxy groups. It is located approximately 86 Mly (26 Mpc) from the Solar System. The Leo Cloud in supergalactic SGY coordinates is physically behind the Virgo Cluster. Eventually, over the next Hubble time, the galaxy groups that make up the Leo II Cloud will infall and merge with the Virgo Cluster.
The Leo Cloud, along with the Crater Cloud which contains the NGC 4038 Group, is actually the same branch of a larger galaxy filament that extends from the Centaurus Cluster through the Virgo Cluster and continues through the Ursa Major Cluster, known as the Virgo Strand. The Virgo Strand is the main component of the Virgo Supercluster and is made of two branches with the lower branch consisting of the Leo and Crater clouds, while the upper branch is known as the Virgo Southern Extension or Virgo II Groups.
The Leo Cloud itself is actually composed of two filaments, the Leo II A and Leo II B filaments. The Leo II A filament consists of the majority of the cloud, while the Leo II B filament consists of a sparse region of the cloud.
The Leo Cloud, like the Virgo III Cloud, is prolate and points toward the Virgo Cluster.