M109 Group Explained

The M109 Group (also known as the NGC 3992 Group or Ursa Major cloud) is a group of galaxies about 55 million light-years away[1] in the constellation Ursa Major. The group is named after the brightest galaxy within the group, the spiral galaxy M109.

Members

The table below lists galaxies that have been consistently identified as group members in the Nearby Galaxies Catalog,[2] the survey of Fouque et al.,[3] the Lyons Groups of Galaxies (LGG) Catalogue, and the three group lists created from the Nearby Optical Galaxy sample of Giuricin et al.

Members of the M109 Group
NameType[4] R.A. (J2000)Dec. (J2000)Redshift (km/s)Apparent Magnitude
Messier 109SB(rs)bc1048 ± 110.6
NGC 3718SB(s)a pec993 ± 111.6
NGC 3726SAB(r)c866 ± 110.9
NGC 3729SB(r)a pec1060 ± 112.0
NGC 3769SB(r)b737 ± 212.5
NGC 3782SAB(s)cd739 ± 6 13.1
NGC 3870S0756 ± 713.4
NGC 3877Sc895 ± 4 12.1
NGC 3893SAB(rs)c967 ± 111.2
NGC 3913(R)SA(rs)d954 ± 413.2
NGC 3917SAcd965 ± 112.5
NGC 3922S0/a906 ± 713.4
NGC 3928SA(s)b988 ± 413.0
NGC 3949SA(s)bc800 ± 111.5
NGC 3953SB(r)bc1052 ± 210.8
NGC 3972SA(s)bc852 ± 113.1
NGC 3982SAB(r)b1109 ± 612.0
NGC 4010SB(s)d902 ± 113.2
NGC 4026S0930 ± 4011.7
NGC 4085SAB(s)c746 ± 513.0
NGC 4088SAB(rs)bc757 ± 111.2
NGC 4100(R)SA(rs)bc1074 ± 111.9
NGC 4102SAB(s)b846 ± 212.0
NGC 4142SB(s)d1157 ± 713.9
NGC 4157SAB(s)b774 ± 212.2
UGC 6628SAm841 ± 113.2
UGC 6667Scd973 ± 114.2
UGC 6840SB(rs)m1046 ± 514.3
UGC 6917SBm911 ± 113.1
UGC 6923Im1066 ± 215.1
UGC 6930SAB(s)d777 ± 012.7
UGC 6983SB(rs)cd1082 ± 113.1
UGC 7218Im770 ± 714.8

Galaxies frequently but not consistently listed as group members in the above references (i.e. galaxies listed in four of the above lists) include NGC 3631, NGC 3657, NGC 3733, NGC 3756, NGC 3850, NGC 3898, NGC 3985, NGC 3990, NGC 3998, NGC 4217, NGC 4220, UGC 6773, UGC 6802, UGC 6816, UGC 6922, and UGC 6969. The exact membership and the exact number of galaxies in the group is somewhat uncertain.

Fouque et al. lists these galaxies as two separate groups named Ursa Major I North and Ursa Major I South, both of which were used to compile the above table. Most other references, however, identify this as a single group, as is specifically noted in the LGG Catalogue.

Notes and References

  1. http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/galgrps/uma.html The Ursa Major Groups
  2. Book: R. B. Tully . 1988 . Nearby Galaxies Catalog . . Cambridge . 0-521-35299-1.
  3. P. Fouque . E. Gourgoulhon . P. Chamaraux . G. Paturel . Groups of galaxies within 80 Mpc. II – The catalogue of groups and group members . Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement . 1992 . 93 . 211–233 . 1992A&AS...93..211F.
  4. Web site: NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database . Results for various galaxies . 2006-11-09.