virgocentric flow

{{Short description|Movement of the Local Group towards the Virgo cluster}}

The Virgocentric flow (VCF) is the preferred movement of Local Group galaxies towards the Virgo cluster{{cite journal

| last=Chernin | first=A. D.

| author2=Karachentsev, I. D.

| author3=Nasonova, O. G.

| author4=Teerikorpi, P.

| author5=Valtonen, M. J.

| author6=Dolgachev, V. P.

| author7=Domozhilova, L. M.

| author8=Byrd, G. G.

| display-authors=3

| date = September 2010

| title = Dark energy domination in the Virgocentric flow

| url = http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/bib_query?arXiv:1006.0555

| arxiv = 1006.0555

| journal = Astronomy and Astrophysics

| volume = 520

| pages = id.A104

| bibcode = 2010A&A...520A.104C

| doi = 10.1051/0004-6361/201014912

| s2cid=118464732

| access-date = 30 November 2014

}} caused by its overwhelming gravity, which separates bound objects from the Hubble flow of cosmic expansion. The VCF can refer to the Local Group's movement towards the Virgo Cluster,{{cite book |last=Yahil |first=Amos

|editor1-last=Madore|editor1-first=Barry F. |editor1-link=Barry F. Madore

|editor2-last=Tully|editor2-first=R. Breant |editor2-link=R. Brent Tully

|date=1986 |title=Galaxy Distances and Deviations from Universal Expansion |series=NATO ASI Series |chapter=Is the Criticism of the Virgocentric Flow Model Justified? |publisher=Springer Netherlands |pages=143–145 |doi=10.1007/978-94-009-4702-3_26 |isbn=978-94-009-4702-3 }} since its center is considered synonymous with the Virgo cluster, but more tedious to ascertain due to its much larger volume. The excess velocity of Local Group galaxies towards, and with respect to, the Virgo Cluster are 100 to 400 km/s.{{cite web |title=The Virgo Cluster of Galaxies |url=http://messier.seds.org/more/virgo.html}} This excess velocity is referred to as each galaxy's peculiar velocity.