The Local Group is the galaxy group that includes the Milky Way, where Earth is located. It has a total diameter of roughly 3 megaparsecs (10 million light-years; 9×1019 kilometres), and a total mass of the order of 2×1012 solar masses (4×1042 kg). It consists of two collections of galaxies in a "dumbbell" shape; the Milky Way and its satellites form one lobe, and the Andromeda Galaxy and its satellites constitute the other. The two collections are separated by about 800 kiloparsecs (3×10^6 ly; 2×1019 km) and are moving toward one another with a velocity of 123 km/s. The group itself is a part of the larger Virgo Supercluster, which may be a part of the Laniakea Supercluster. The exact number of galaxies in the Local Group is unknown as some are occluded by the Milky Way; however, at least 80 members are known, most of which are dwarf galaxies.
The M81 Group is a galaxy group in the constellations Ursa Major and Camelopardalis that includes the galaxies Messier 81 and Messier 82, as well as several other galaxies with high apparent brightnesses. The approximate center of the group is located at a distance of 3.6 Mpc, making it one of the nearest groups to the Local Group. The group is estimated to have a total mass of ×1012M☉. The M81 Group, the Local Group, and other nearby groups all lie within the Virgo Supercluster.
A low-surface-brightness galaxy, or LSB galaxy, is a diffuse galaxy with a surface brightness that, when viewed from Earth, is at least one magnitude lower than the ambient night sky.
Leo A (also known as Leo III) is an irregular galaxy that is part of the Local Group. It lies 2.6 million light-years from Earth, and was discovered by Fritz Zwicky in 1942. The estimated mass of this galaxy is (8.0 ± 2.7) × 107 solar masses, with at least 80% consisting of dark matter. It is one of the most isolated galaxies in the Local Group and shows no indications of an interaction or merger for several billion years. However, Leo A is nearly unique among irregular galaxies in that more than 90% of its stars formed more recently than 8 billion years ago, suggesting a rather unusual evolutionary history. The presence of RR Lyrae variables shows that the galaxy has an old stellar population that is up to 10 billion years in age.
Alpha Vulpeculae, officially named Anser, is the brightest star in the constellation of Vulpecula. It is approximately 291 light-years from Earth. It forms a wide optical binary with 8 Vulpeculae.
NGC 2683 is a field spiral galaxy in the northern constellation of Lynx. It was nicknamed the "UFO Galaxy" by the Astronaut Memorial Planetarium and Observatory. It was discovered by the astronomer William Herschel on February 5, 1788.
Mu Cassiopeiae, Latinized from μ Cassiopeiae, is a binary star system in the constellation Cassiopeia. This system shares the name Marfak with Theta Cassiopeiae, and the name was from Al Marfik or Al Mirfaq (المرفق), meaning "the elbow". It is dimly visible to the naked eye as a point of light with an apparent visual magnitude of 5.16. The system is located at a distance of 25 light years from the Sun based on parallax, and is moving closer with a high radial velocity of −98 km/s. This star will move into the constellation Perseus around 5200 AD.
Alpha Caeli is the brightest star in the constellation Caelum. It is in fact a binary star, made up of a F-type star of magnitude 4.46 and a red dwarf of magnitude 12.5. They are separated by 6.6" in the sky. Parallax measurements by the Gaia spacecraft imply a distance of 20.4 pc (67 ly) to Alpha Caeli. A debris disk has been detected around the primary component of the system.
Sextans B is an irregular galaxy that may be part of the Local Group, or lie just beyond it. Sextans B is 4.44 million light-years away from Earth and thus is one of the most distant members of the Local Group, if it is indeed a member. It forms a pair with its neighbouring galaxy Sextans A. It is a type Ir IV–V galaxy according to the galaxy morphological classification scheme. Sextans B may also be gravitationally associated with the galaxies NGC 3109 and the Antlia Dwarf.
The Antlia Dwarf is a dwarf spheroidal/irregular galaxy. It lies about 1.3 Mpc from Earth in the constellation Antlia. It is the fourth and faintest member of the nearby Antlia-Sextans Group of galaxies. The galaxy contains stars of all ages, contains significant amounts of gas, and has experienced recent star formation. The Antlia Dwarf is believed to be tidally interacting with the small barred spiral galaxy NGC 3109.
V538 Aurigae is a single star in the northern constellation of Auriga. With an apparent visual magnitude of 6.23, this star requires good dark sky conditions to view with the naked eye. It is located at a distance of 40.0 light-years (12.3 pc) from Sun based on parallax. The star is drifting further away with a radial velocity of 0.9 km/s. It is a member of the Local Association, and is most likely a thin disk star.
NGC 2552 is a Magellanic spiral galaxy located some 22 million light years away. It can be found in constellation of Lynx. This is a type of unbarred dwarf galaxy, usually with a single spiral arm. It is inclined by 41° to the line of sight from the Earth along a position angle of 229°. The measured velocity dispersion of the stars in NGC 2552 is relatively low—a mere 19 ± 2 km/s. This galaxy forms part of a loose triplet that includes NGC 2541 and NGC 2500, which together belong to the NGC 2841 group.
DDO 190 is a dwarf irregular galaxy in the vicinity of the Milky Way, as it is relatively small and lacks clear structure. It is 9.10 million light-years (2.79 Mpc) away from Earth and lies out of the Local Group, determined by the tip of the red giant branch method. The outskirts of the galaxy are harbouring older (reddish) stars, while the centre is crowded with younger (bluish) stars. Heated gas is observed at several places. DDO 190 still experiences some active star formation. The galaxy is categorised as a Magellanic dwarf galaxy of morphological type Im. Its metallicity is [Fe/H] = −1.55 ± 0.12.
NGC 4707 is an irregular galaxy in the constellation of Canes Venatici. It was discovered by John Herschel on 5 June 1834, and was described by John Louis Emil Dreyer, the compiler of the New General Catalogue, as a "small, stellar" galaxy.
NGC 5264, also known as DDO 242, is an irregular galaxy in the constellation Hydra. It is part of the M83 subgroup of the Centaurus A/M83 Group, located some 15 million light years away. The galaxy was discovered on 30 March 1835 by John Herschel, and it was described as "very faint, pretty large, round, very little brighter middle" by John Louis Emil Dreyer, the compiler of the New General Catalogue.
NGC 4242 is a spiral galaxy in the northern constellation of Canes Venatici. The galaxy is about 18 million light years away. It was discovered on 10 April 1788 by William Herschel, and it was described as "very faint, considerably large, irregular, round, very gradually brighter in the middle, resolvable" by John Louis Emil Dreyer, the compiler of the New General Catalogue.
FF Andromedae is a spectroscopic binary in the constellation Andromeda. It has a typical apparent visual magnitude of 10.4, but undergoes flare events that can increase its brightness by about a magnitude.
NGC 7196 is an elliptical galaxy registered in the New General Catalogue. It is located in the direction of the Indus constellation, at a distance of circa 150 million light years. It was discovered by the English astronomer John Herschel in 1834 using a 47.5 cm reflector.
NGC 765 is an intermediate spiral galaxy located in the constellation Aries. It is located at a distance of circa 220 million light years from Earth, which, given its apparent dimensions, means that NGC 765 is about 195,000 light years across. It was discovered by Albert Marth on October 8, 1864. The galaxy has an extensive hydrogen (HI) disk with low surface brightness, whose diameter is estimated to be 240 kpc.
UGC 9405 is a faint dwarf irregular galaxy situated in the constellation of Ursa Major. It is about 20.5 million light-years, or 6.3 megaparsecs, away from the Earth. It is listed as a member of the M101 Group, a group containing the several galaxies orbiting the largest, Pinwheel Galaxy (M101). However, due to its far distance from the Pinwheel Galaxy, its membership of the group is uncertain.
