Posted by David in I was studying for my Physics quiz the other day and was reading a chapter on Gravitation in my Physics book when I stumbled upon the term “Great Attractor.” To quote my book, “The Local Group is part of the Local Supercluster of galaxies that is being drawn by the gravitational force toward an exceptionally massive region of space called the Great Attractor. This region appears to be about 3.0 x 108 light-years from Earth, on the opposite side of the Milky Way.” WOW! What an interesting concept and strange phenomenon. The first thing I thought of when reading this though was, “Could that be heaven?” The name fits. The concept fits since everything in the Universe is being drawn towards it. And it just sounds good.
I did a quick search on Google to see if other people made some type of religious connection with this idea of the Great Attractor. I found an article by James McGillis talking about the same idea. He approached the topic in a very metaphysical sense which was interesting to read. I like the idea of thinking about God or heaven being out there in a specific place in the Universe but at the same time I don’t know if it is reasonable. I am a firm Christian and I believe that God is omnipotent and omnipresent. That would mean that God would have to be in this Great Attractor region but also everywhere in the Universe at the same time.
All in all, I just like the idea of the Earth being attracted to this defined region in the Universe called the Great Attractor which in actuality could the location of “heaven.” I guess you could say that it is a very cliche idea but a fun idea to contemplate all at the same time.
Here are a couple interesting pictures illustrating the Great Attractor.
One last interesting fact! The Great Attractor is “attracting” galaxies and Superclusters at velocities in excess of 600 kilometers per second!
Wowza!! Very intriguing and mind boggling! you’re a smarty!
David! You’re too smart.
I want to join this world with you and michhhhhh
That is almost exactly what I thought when I first read the article on the Daily Galaxy. This “Great Attractor” must be where God is. I’ve been a member of my church for only 2 years, but I remember learning that as the Second Coming draws closer, we’ll be taken to where God is. Here we go, I guess! ^O^
Thanks for the “honorable mention” in your blog. The power of The Great Attractor is only hinted at by contemporary scientific inquiry and description. Its real power lies in our spontaneous attraction to “It”, not as heaven or the “place” from which our savior will come. Rather, we and “It” are inextricably linked as part of “All That Is”. Thus, if “It” is God, we are God also.
The Great Attractor is not a place, it’s a zone spanning hundreds of millions of light years (several billion times larger than our Milky Galaxy) in which there is a concentration of old galaxies and early galactic matter, dust, gas and radiation. Many of the galaxies attracted by this concentration of matter are colliding violently with each other, causing the whole area to be awash in extreme radiation levels, including a preponderance of lethal x-rays.
Because it is presumably a very old structure in the history of the universe, it’s large-scale gravitational effects have acted on surrounding matter in several galactic superclusters for several billion years, allowing us to notice it because it has an observable effect on all local matter, including the Milky Way Galaxy, however, it and all the matter anywhere near it are red-shifted, meaning that it is moving away from us at tremendous speed.
From a philosophical standpoint, this anomalous structure in the universe CANNOT be “heaven” because a.) it is not nearly as old as the universe itself, b.) could not therefore predate the beginning of the universe, and c.) could not therefore be where God “resides” because that would mean that the beginning of the universe must pre-date God… which, I believe, is contrary to your religion.
Likewise, the Milky Way Galaxy is not God or heaven, nor are supermassive black holes, the boundary of the visible universe, the Sloan Great Wall, the Faxton Supercluster, or the North Star even remotely to be considered as candidates for God or Heaven.
Consider that “God” is a simplified term for a very complex metaphysical belief, and that “Heaven” is a religious metaphor for a metaphysical (not physical) afterlife. The physical features of the universe are, by their very nature, NOT metaphysical.
Some of the structures in the universe, like the Great Attractor, are statistically improbable, but that does not mean they are particularly special… just exceptions to the general structure as we understand it. Trust me when I tell you that you will not find God or Heaven with a microwave-spectrum radio telescope.
(And in my opinion, to believe that you could do so is hopelessly naieve from both a scientific and a spiritual perspective.)
Hi David,
Thanks for a “great attractive” article . . .
The very idea of the subject “The Great Attractor” is that “something is pulling”, regarding to the Newton/Einstein Laws of Gravity, right?
- Well, these laws have failed to explain many cosmological phenomenon’s in Cosmos and have showed to be very contradictive in many cases, so what if they also are wrong/contradictive regarding “the great attractor”- phenomenon?
What if the movement in the phenomenon are a result of “A Great Push?” in stead of a great pull?
That´s what I think it is: “A Great Push” that presses everything forward in a pattern of in-folding and out-folding movements, something like the infinity sign ∞.
(@ Winfield Scott):
- Regarding your thoughts about “Finding God in the Milky Way”, ancient Mythology and Story of Creation is very close connected to the Milky Way and when comparing ancient symbols and modern science, you can in fact observe a common knowledge. (http://www.native-science.net/MilkyWay.Contours.htm)
I agree that one can’t find (any) gods in heaven, but one can find human personalized (*) Milky Way figures in heaven that, when interpreted in to modern Astronomical and Cosmological knowledge, are telling a very specific story of Creation. (*also animal figures)
And the Ancient people have, in my opinion, a far Greater Story to tell, because the told the Great Story as a CYCLIC Story of Creation, compared to the modern linear explanation that really confuses more than it explains.
But look for yourself on the sites below . . .
With Love, Peace and Understanding from
Ivar Nielsen, the Baltic island of Bornholm, Denmark
http://native-science.net
http://cosmology.unified.net
NB!
The Cosmology link should be:
cosmology-unified.net
Ivar Nielsen
Quoting Winfield Scott, above.
The Great Attractor is not a place, it’s a zone spanning hundreds of millions of light years (several billion times larger than our Milky Galaxy) in which there is a concentration of old galaxies and early galactic matter, dust, gas and radiation. Many of the galaxies attracted by this concentration of matter are colliding violently with each other, causing the whole area to be awash in extreme radiation levels, including a preponderance of lethal x-rays.
JMM – Isn’t a zone that has dimensions “a place”?
JMM – X-Ray radiation, while lethal to humans on earth might just as well be AM radio in the realm of The Great Attractor.
Because it is presumably a very old structure in the history of the universe, it’s large-scale gravitational effects have acted on surrounding matter in several galactic superclusters for several billion years, allowing us to notice it because it has an observable effect on all local matter, including the Milky Way Galaxy, however, it and all the matter anywhere near it are red-shifted, meaning that it is moving away from us at tremendous speed.
JMM – Why do you presume it to be a very old structure? Might it not “appear when we need” it to further our own consciousness?
The Great attractor, if as far from us as you intimate, could be showing a red-shift signature left over from times gone by. Although we cannot yet detect its acceleration “towards us” (or vice versa), if that attraction is younger than the signature that we can detect, then there is nothing to preclude belief that we are in fact in a mutual attraction game with The Great Attractor. It is a paradox that falls into the “things are not always as they seem” category. Also, since you seem to have a great deal of scientific evidence surrounding this issue, would a direct pull between us and the GA send us cart wheeling right through the center of the universe? I would live to see my thesis “proven” to the satisfaction of someone like yourself – obviously a scientist… or did I get that wrong?
From a philosophical standpoint, this anomalous structure in the universe CANNOT be “heaven” because a.) it is not nearly as old as the universe itself, b.) could not therefore predate the beginning of the universe, and c.) could not therefore be where God “resides” because that would mean that the beginning of the universe must pre-date God… which, I believe, is contrary to your religion.
JMM – a.) Why must any heaven predate the universe or be simultaneous to creation? b.) Same argument. C.) It depends on whether God is a creation of man or man is a creation of God. No one, except a dogmatist would claim to know that answer – unless you have received “direct word” on this subject. I think you are saying that there is a time-sequenced set of events before God and heaven can take their rightful places in the human consciousness.
JMM – Did you hear the one about the dyslexic, agnostic, insomniac who lay awake all night wondering if there really was a Dog?
Likewise, the Milky Way Galaxy is not God or heaven, nor are supermassive black holes, the boundary of the visible universe, the Sloan Great Wall, the Faxton Supercluster, or the North Star even remotely to be considered as candidates for God or Heaven.
JMM – Is God restricted to only one location or “available” in all locations?
Consider that “God” is a simplified term for a very complex metaphysical belief, and that “Heaven” is a religious metaphor for a metaphysical (not physical) afterlife. The physical features of the universe are, by their very nature, NOT metaphysical.
JMM – Consider that God is a complex term for a very simple metaphysical belief and that “Heaven” is a metaphysical metaphor for what most people belief is a quasi-physical (as in “Up there, in Heaven”) place.
Some of the structures in the universe, like the Great Attractor, are statistically improbable, but that does not mean they are particularly special… just exceptions to the general structure as we understand it. Trust me when I tell you that you will not find God or Heaven with a microwave-spectrum radio telescope.
JMM – Would it make more sense to ignore the anomaly, which is the GA , or open our minds to what it may be, not only dimensionally, but also interdimensionally?
(And in my opinion, to believe that you could do so is hopelessly naieve from both a scientific and a spiritual perspective.)
JMM – One man’s hopeful naïveté is another man’s scientific inspiration. I hope that I have inspired you to see that there may be more than one valid perspective on this subject and that all questions, no matter how naive, have their place in this discussion.
JMM=Jim McGillis – http://jamesmcgillis.com and jim@jamesmcgillis.com.
NB: When clicking on my name above, the linking fails, but it should now be corrected.
All the Best!
Ivar Nielsen
http://native-science.net
http://cosmology-unified.net
@JMM: Whatever you’re smoking, please stop.
One of several nonsensical claims in your post:
> Consider that God is a complex term for a very simple metaphysical belief
In what possible way is “God” a complex term? Do you even know what “term” means?
To try to understand the universe with human brainsmoving towards the end of the universe is like an ant trying to write a symphony. Can’t do it. However this does not stop the small minded from trying to make an super cluster moving towards the end of the universe tool for their belief systems.
If you want to see “God” look at a child’s face, listen to Bach or Mozart, Feel the warmth of a summer sun, watch birds fly, feel and give love to something, realize your significance AND your insignificance in the great scheme of things and be open to the changes in everything. Heaven and all that other man made tripe are mediocre attempts to explain what is in plain sight.
Man was given a paradise and with the great help of religion is turning it into HELL!!
Bwahaha!!!
James got owned by Scott and then you all got lectured on ‘the ancients’ by a Dane!!
Funny stuff. I would usually pay for entertainment like this.
God bless the internet. Or should I say, ‘may the Great Attractor bless the internet!’