Peculiar velocity
Observed recession velocity is decomposed as v_obs = H0 r + v_pec. The Great Attractor signal is in v_pec, not in normal Hubble expansion.
Large-scale gravity field
The Great Attractor is a flow convergence, not a single visible object.
Galaxy redshift surveys show that the Local Group and nearby galaxies have peculiar velocities that cannot be explained by smooth Hubble expansion alone. The Great Attractor page models that motion as a softened mass-concentration term in the Hydra-Centaurus/Norma direction, with extra context from Shapley-scale structure.
Drag rotate - wheel zoom - right-drag pan - independent simulator
Great Attractor: loading galaxy-flow model.
Observed identity
Catalog scale and interpretation
Independent simulator
Separate from the 3D space simulation
The simulator shows gravitational acceleration and peculiar velocity residuals after subtracting Hubble flow.
This page uses its own generated large-scale-structure script and canvas. It is not merged into the solar-system or outer-space simulator because the coordinates are megaparsec-scale velocity-field coordinates, not AU-scale object positions.
3D simulation
Great Attractor galaxy-flow model
Rotate and zoom the local-volume reconstruction. Gold streamlines are peculiar velocities after subtracting smooth Hubble expansion; bright knots mark Virgo, Norma/Great Attractor, Shapley direction, and Local Group context.
Drag rotate - wheel zoom - right-drag pan - independent simulator
Great Attractor: loading galaxy-flow model.
Mathematical Verification
Why this model is theoretically defensible
Softened gravity
The simulator uses a(r) = -G M (r-c) / (|r-c|^2 + eps^2)^(3/2) so the flow is finite near the mass-concentration center.
Zone of Avoidance
Milky Way dust hides part of the Norma-region galaxy distribution, so the page treats the attractor as an inferred density concentration.
Shapley context
Shapley-scale mass also contributes to Local Group motion; a single-attractor explanation is an educational simplification.
Not a black hole
A large-scale overdensity changes galaxy velocities over tens of Mpc; it is not an event horizon or compact relativistic object.
Verification scope
The mathematical check is theoretical consistency of the acceleration and velocity-field model, not a claim of survey-grade reconstruction.
Model equations
Flow field used by the simulator
The coordinate unit is Mpc. Hubble expansion is v_H = H0 r, with H0 = 70 km s^-1 Mpc^-1 in the readout. The displayed stream vectors use v_total(r) = H0 r + v_pec(r), where v_pec follows the softened acceleration direction toward the overdensity center.
Because a softened potential has finite acceleration at small radius and inverse-square behavior at large radius, the field has the right qualitative limit for a distributed mass concentration.
Proof note
What is proved here
The simulator proves internal mathematical consistency: units are Mpc, Mly, and km s^-1; the vector field is derived from a scalar softened potential; streamlines follow the negative potential gradient; and the Laniakea scale conversion uses 1 Mpc = 3.26156 million light-years.
It does not prove a unique mass map from observations. A survey-grade result requires redshift-distance catalogs, peculiar-velocity reconstruction, selection-function correction, and uncertainty propagation.
Research Pathways
Related pages
Astronomy hub
Use the astronomy hub to move between stellar objects, cosmic expansion, voids, black holes, and supercluster-scale structure.
Bootes Void
Compare overdensity-driven flow with a large underdense cosmic-web region.
Big Bang expansion
Connect late-time large-scale structure to Lambda-CDM scale factor and structure-growth context.
SkyMap
Use SkyMap for object coordinates and observational context.
Mathematical model
Page model status
This page does not introduce a standalone generated physics or engineering simulation. Any decorative background or static illustration is presentation only; mathematical claims must come from the cited equations, catalog values, or linked model-verification pages.
No image-derived claim
\[\text{visual decoration} \ne \text{physical model}\]
Decorative images, icons, and background effects on this page are not used as evidence for a scientific or engineering statement.
Content claim standard
\[\text{claim} \rightarrow \text{source field or equation}\]
If the text gives a quantitative fact, it must be traceable to a data field, unit conversion, or equation on the relevant detailed page.
Model handoff
\[\text{open } \mathtt{/model\text{-verification/}}\]
Interactive pages linked from here carry their own mathematical model sections with equations, assumptions, proof notes, and limitations.
Verification standard: the rendered object must be reproducible from stated equations, catalog parameters, or explicit geometric transforms. Visual reference images may inform presentation only; they are not the source of orbital positions, field vectors, accretion-disk gradients, timing, or engineering layout.
Limitations: browser scenes may use bounded scale, compressed distances, simplified two-body dynamics, schematic transfer curves, or educational approximations where full numerical ephemerides, CFD, finite-element models, or general-relativistic ray tracing are outside the page scope. Those simplifications are part of the model contract, not hidden image-based construction.