Virgo Cluster

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/virgo-cluster

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the average distance?Approximately 65 million light-years from Earth
2. Why is the Virgo Cluster important for scientists?Because it is close to us, about 65 million light‑years away, it lets scientists study how galaxies move, how much dark matter there is, and how the universe is built.
3. How many galaxies are in the Virgo Cluster?Scientists have confirmed more than 1,300 galaxies, and there could be tens of thousands if we count the tiny dwarf galaxies.

Galaxy Cluster: A gravitationally bound system of hundreds to thousands of galaxies, representing a significant component of the universe's large-scale structure.
Intergalactic Medium (IGM): The tenuous plasma of ionized gas that fills the space between galaxies within a cluster.
Ram-Pressure Stripping: The process by which a galaxy's interstellar gas is removed as it moves through the hot IGM of a cluster.
Cepheid Variable Stars: Stars whose luminosity varies in a predictable way, used as 'standard candles' to measure cosmic distances.