M51 Group

M51 Group
	The Whirlpool Galaxy (M51A), the brightest member of the M51 Group, and M51B, the companion to the Whirlpool Galaxy.
Observation data (Epoch J2000)
Constellation(s)	Canes Venatici
Right ascension	13h 24m [1] [2]
Declination	46° 13′ [1] [2]
Brightest member	Whirlpool Galaxy (M51A) [1] [2] [3]
Number of galaxies	7-17 [1] [2] [4] [3]
Other designations
	NGC 5194 Group, LGG 347, [1] NOGG H 712, [2] ; NOGG P1 723, [2] NOGG P2 739 [2]
	See also: Galaxy groups, Galaxy clusters, List of galaxy clusters

Last updated April 25, 2019

The M51 Group is a group of galaxies located in Canes Venatici. The group is named after the brightest galaxy in the group, the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51A). Other notable members include the companion galaxy to the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51B) and the Sunflower Galaxy (M63).^[1]^[2]^[4]^[3]

Canes Venatici is one of the 88 official modern constellations. It is a small northern constellation that was created by Johannes Hevelius in the 17th century. Its name is Latin for "hunting dogs", and the constellation is often depicted in illustrations as representing the dogs of Boötes the Herdsman, a neighboring constellation. Cor Caroli is the constellation's brightest star, with an apparent magnitude of 2.9. La Superba is one of the reddest stars in the sky and one of the brightest carbon stars. The Whirlpool Galaxy is a spiral galaxy tilted face-on to observers on Earth, and was the first galaxy whose spiral nature was discerned.

The Whirlpool Galaxy, also known as Messier 51a, M51a, and NGC 5194, is an interacting grand-design spiral galaxy with a Seyfert 2 active galactic nucleus. It lies in the constellation Canes Venatici, and was the first galaxy to be classified as a spiral galaxy. Its distance is estimated to be between 15 and 35 million light-years.

NGC 5195 is a dwarf galaxy that is interacting with the Whirlpool Galaxy. Both galaxies are located approximately 25 million light-years away in the constellation Canes Venatici. Together, the two galaxies are one of the most famous interacting galaxy pairs.

Members

The table below lists galaxies that have been consistently identified as group members in the Nearby Galaxies Catalog,^[4] the survey of Fouque et al.,^[3] the Lyons Groups of Galaxies (LGG) Catalog,^[1] and the three group lists created from the Nearby Optical Galaxy sample of Giuricin et al.^[2]

**Members of the M51 Group**
Name	Type ^[5]	R.A. (J2000)^[5]	Dec. (J2000)^[5]	Redshift (km/s)^[5]	Apparent Magnitude ^[5]
Whirlpool Galaxy (M51A)	SA(s)bc pec	13^h 29^m 52.7^s	+47° 11′ 43″	463 ± 3	9.0
M51B (NGC 5195)	SB0 pec	13^h 29^m 59.6^s	+47° 15′ 58″	465 ± 10	10.5
NGC 5023	Scd	13^h 12^m 12.6^s	+44° 02′ 28″	407 ± 1	12.9
NGC 5229	SB(s)d	13^h 34^m 02.8^s	+47° 54′ 56″	364 ± 8	14.3
Sunflower Galaxy (M63)	SA(rs)bc	13^h 15^m 49.3^s	+42° 01′ 45″	504 ± 4	9.3
UGC 8313	SB(s)c	13^h 13^m 53.9^s	+42° 12′ 31″	593 ± 4	14.4
UGC 8331	IAm	13^h 15^m 30.3^s	+47° 29′ 56″	260 ± 5	14.6

Other probable members (galaxies listed in two or more of the lists from the above references) include IC 4263 and UGC 8320. The exact membership is somewhat uncertain.

Nearby Groups

The M51 Group is located to the southeast of the M101 Group and the NGC 5866 Group.^[6] The distances to these three groups (as determined from the distances to the individual member galaxies) are similar, which suggests that the M51 Group, the M101 Group, and the NGC 5866 Group are actually part of a large, loose, elongated structure.^[6] However, most group identification methods (including those used by the references cited above) identify these three groups as separate entities.

The M101 Group is a loose group of galaxies located in Ursa Major. The group is named after the brightest galaxy in the group, the Pinwheel Galaxy (M101). Most of the other members of the group are companions of the Pinwheel Galaxy. The group itself is one of many located within the Virgo Supercluster.

The NGC 5866 Group is a small group of galaxies located in the constellation Draco. The group is named after NGC 5866, the galaxy with the highest apparent magnitude in the group, although some galaxy group catalogs list NGC 5907 as the brightest member.

External links

M51 group, SEDS Messier pages

Related Research Articles

NGC 4631 is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici. This galaxy's slightly distorted wedge shape gives it the appearance of a herring or a whale, hence its nickname. Because this nearby galaxy is seen edge-on from Earth, professional astronomers observe this galaxy to better understand the gas and stars located outside the plane of the galaxy.

The Leo Triplet is a small group of galaxies about 35 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. This galaxy group consists of the spiral galaxies M65, M66, and NGC 3628.

NGC 3982 is an intermediate spiral galaxy approximately 68 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. It is also known as UGC 6918. It was discovered by William Herschel on April 14, 1789 and misclassified as planetary nebula. NGC 3982 is a part of the M109 Group.

The NGC 4038 Group is a group of galaxies in the constellations Corvus and Crater. The group may contain between 13 and 27 galaxies. The group's best known galaxies are the Antennae Galaxies, a well-known interacting pair of galaxies.

NGC 4027 is a barred spiral galaxy approximately 83 million light-years away in the constellation Corvus. It is also a peculiar galaxy because one of its spiral arms goes out more than the other. This is probably due to a galactic collision in NGC 4027's past.

The M74 Group is a small group of galaxies in the constellation Pisces. The face-on spiral galaxy M74 is the brightest galaxy within the group. Other members include the peculiar spiral galaxy NGC 660 and several smaller irregular galaxies . The M74 Group is one of many galaxy groups that lie within the Virgo Supercluster.

The M109 Group is a group of galaxies about 55 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. The group is named after the brightest galaxy within the group, the spiral galaxy M109.

The NGC 4631 Group is a poorly defined group of galaxies, about 25 million light years from Earth in the Coma Berenices and Canes Venatici constellations.

NGC 3953 barred spiral galaxy in the constellation of Ursa Major

NGC 3953 is a barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Ursa Major. The galaxy is known to exhibit an inner ring structure that encircles the bar.

NGC 3384 is an elliptical galaxy in the constellation Leo. The galaxy was discovered by William Herschel in 1784 as part of the Herschel 400 Catalogue. The high age of the stars in the central region of NGC 3384 was confirmed after analysis of their color. More than 80% were found to be Population II stars which are over a billion years old. The supermassive black hole at the core has a mass of 1.6+0.1
−0.2×10⁷ M_☉.

The M96 Group is a group of galaxies in the constellation Leo. This group contains between 8 and 24 galaxies, including three Messier objects. The group is one of many groups that lies within the Virgo Supercluster.

The Coma I Group is a group of galaxies located about 14.5 Mpc (47.3 Mly) away in the constellation Coma Berenices. The brightest member of the group is NGC 4725. The Coma I Group is rich in spiral galaxies while containing few elliptical and lenticular galaxies. Coma I lies in the foreground of the more distant Coma and Leo clusters and is located within the Virgo Supercluster.

NGC 3981 is a spiral galaxy located 62 million light-years away in the constellation of Crater. It was discovered on February 7, 1785 by William Herschel.

NGC 668 is a spiral galaxy located 200 million light-years away in the constellation Andromeda. It was discovered by astronomer Édouard Stephan on December 4, 1880 and is a member of Abell 262.

NGC 669 is an edge-on spiral galaxy with an active galactic nucleus located 200 million light-years away in the constellation Triangulum. NGC 669 was discovered by astronomer Édouard Stephan on November 28, 1883 and is a member of Abell 262.

NGC 679 lenticular galaxy in the constellation Andromeda

NGC 679 is an elliptical or a lenticular galaxy located 210 million light-years away in the constellation Andromeda. The galaxy was discovered by astronomer William Herschel on September 13, 1784 and is a member of Abell 262.

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 A. Garcia (1993). "General study of group membership. II - Determination of nearby groups". Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement . 100: 47–90. Bibcode:1993A&AS..100...47G.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 G. Giuricin; C. Marinoni; L. Ceriani; A. Pisani (2000). "Nearby Optical Galaxies: Selection of the Sample and Identification of Groups". Astrophysical Journal. 543 (1): 178–194. arXiv: astro-ph/0001140 . Bibcode:2000ApJ...543..178G. doi:10.1086/317070.
1 2 3 4 P. Fouque, E. Gourgoulhon, P. Chamaraux, G. Paturel; Gourgoulhon; Chamaraux; Paturel (1992). "Groups of galaxies within 80 Mpc. II - The catalogue of groups and group members". Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement. 93: 211–233. Bibcode:1992A&AS...93..211F.CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
1 2 3 R. B. Tully (1988). Nearby Galaxies Catalog. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-35299-1.
1 2 3 4 5 "NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database". Results for various galaxies. Retrieved 2006-10-19.
1 2 L. Ferrarese, H. C. Ford, J. Huchra, R. C. Kennicutt Jr., J. R. Mould, S. Sakai, W. L. Freedman, P. B. Stetson, B. F. Madore, B. K. Gibson, J. A. Graham, S. M. Hughes, G. D. Illingworth, D. D. Kelson, L. Macri, K. Sebo, N. A. Silbermann (2000). "A Database of Cepheid Distance Moduli and Tip of the Red Giant Branch, Globular Cluster Luminosity Function, Planetary Nebula Luminosity Function, and Surface Brightness Fluctuation Data Useful for Distance Determinations". Astrophysical Journal Supplement . 128 (2): 431–459. arXiv: astro-ph/9910501 . Bibcode:2000ApJS..128..431F. doi:10.1086/313391.CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)

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[garcia1993-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 A. Garcia (1993). "General study of group membership. II - Determination of nearby groups". Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement . 100: 47–90. Bibcode:1993A&AS..100...47G.

[giuricinetal2002-2] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 G. Giuricin; C. Marinoni; L. Ceriani; A. Pisani (2000). "Nearby Optical Galaxies: Selection of the Sample and Identification of Groups". Astrophysical Journal. 543 (1): 178–194. arXiv: astro-ph/0001140 . Bibcode:2000ApJ...543..178G. doi:10.1086/317070.

[fouqueetal1992-3] 1 2 3 4 P. Fouque, E. Gourgoulhon, P. Chamaraux, G. Paturel; Gourgoulhon; Chamaraux; Paturel (1992). "Groups of galaxies within 80 Mpc. II - The catalogue of groups and group members". Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement. 93: 211–233. Bibcode:1992A&AS...93..211F.CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)

[nbg-4] 1 2 3 R. B. Tully (1988). Nearby Galaxies Catalog. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-35299-1.

[ned-5] 1 2 3 4 5 "NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database". Results for various galaxies. Retrieved 2006-10-19.

[ferrareseetal00-6] 1 2 L. Ferrarese, H. C. Ford, J. Huchra, R. C. Kennicutt Jr., J. R. Mould, S. Sakai, W. L. Freedman, P. B. Stetson, B. F. Madore, B. K. Gibson, J. A. Graham, S. M. Hughes, G. D. Illingworth, D. D. Kelson, L. Macri, K. Sebo, N. A. Silbermann (2000). "A Database of Cepheid Distance Moduli and Tip of the Red Giant Branch, Globular Cluster Luminosity Function, Planetary Nebula Luminosity Function, and Surface Brightness Fluctuation Data Useful for Distance Determinations". Astrophysical Journal Supplement . 128 (2): 431–459. arXiv: astro-ph/9910501 . Bibcode:2000ApJS..128..431F. doi:10.1086/313391.CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)