do galaxies orbit

[jamey2k9]

do galaxies orbit around a certain point or just float around. and if so what would have the gravitational pull to move a galaxy

[iNow]

As I recall, most of them have supermassive blackholes in the center, and yes, they orbit that central point.

[jamey2k9]

thx but I ment does the galaxy itself move at all (and what's the virgo supercluster)

[Klaynos]

does the galaxy move relative to what? All other galaxies are moving relative to us, those in our cluster (and probably super cluster) are gravitationally bound in some way, they don't as far as I know orbit anything though. Other galaxies are moving away from us (relative to us) due to the expansion of the universe.

[jamey2k9]

thankyou that was answer I wanted

[Martin]

do galaxies orbit around a certain point or just float around. and if so what would have the gravitational pull to move a galaxy

 

... those in our cluster (and probably super cluster) are gravitationally bound in some way,..

 

thankyou that was answer I wanted

 

To add to what Klaynos said, you know there are binary stars, where two stars orbit each other---actually they each orbit around a point between them called the center of mass. Binary and ternary (threesome) stars are common. You can reason by analogy and guess that something similar goes on with galaxies.

 

You can have a pair of galaxies that orbit each other (or each orbits the point which is their center of mass).

 

In our local group of galaxies there are some smaller dwarf galaxies that appear to be orbiting around Milkyway.

 

Because relative positions change slowly at that scale it is difficult to plot or predict the orbits that galaxies travel in their bound clusters. Describing N-body systems is in any case more complicated than describing 2-body, or than describing a central body system where there is one dominant mass and several smaller satellite bodies.