The Virgo Cluster Distance

The Virgo Cluster's distance from us (our Milky Way galaxy, or the Local Group) is of great importance for the understanding of our intergalactic neighborhood, for the cosmic distance scale, and for cosmological issues. It is currently estimated close to our value of 60 million light years, but was historically given at significantly other, typically lower values.

A table of historic Virgo Cluster distance determinations and estimates is given here:

Year  Source                                          m-M            d(Mly)

1931 E. Hubble and M, Humason. ApJ 74, 43 26.3 5.9 1936 E. Hubble. "Realm of the Nebulae" 26.7 7.1 1955 W. Baum. PASP 67, 328 30.2 35.7 1958 A. Sandage. ApJ 127, 513 (>)30.8 47.1 1960 J. Sersic. ZfA 50, 168 30.0 32.6 Yu. P. Pskovskii. Sov Astron 4, 805 29.8 +/- 0.7 29.7 1962 A. Sandage. IAU Symp 15, 359 30.7 45.0 1964 E. Holmberg. Arkiv Astron 3, 419 30.76 46.3 1968 A. Sandage. ApJ 152, L149 (>)31.1 54.1 1969 C.T. Kowal. PASP 81, 608 30.6 +/- 0.3 42.9 1970 G. de Vaucouleurs. ApJ 159, 435 31.5 65.0 1971 J. Heidmann et.al. MmRAS 75, 85 30.9 +/- 0.5 49.3 1974 A. Sandage, G.A. Tammann. ApJ 194, 559 31.45 +/- 0.09 63.6 1976 A. Sandage, G.A. Tammann. ApJ 210, 7 31.70 +/- 0.08 71.3 1977 G. de Vaucouleurs. Nature 266, 126 30.4 +/- 0.3 39.2 D.A. Hanes. MNRAS 180, 309 30.4 +/- 0.5 39.2 J. Heidmann. IAU Coll 37, 487 30.7 +/- 0.5 45.0 G.A. Tammann. IAU Coll 37, 43 31.55 +/- 0.12 66.6 R.B. Tully, J.R. Fisher. AAp 54, 661 30.60 42.9 R.B. Tully, J.R. Fisher. IAU Coll 37, 95 30.8 +/- 0.2 47.1 1978 N. Visvanathan. AAp 67, L17 30.60 +/- 0.39 42.9 1979 M. Aaronson et.al. ApJ 229, 1 31.07 +/- 0.25 53.4 G. de Vaucouleurs. ApJ 227, 729 30.52 41.4 D.A. Hanes. MNRAS 188, 901 30.7 +/- 0.3 45.0 W.E. Harris, R. Racine. An.Rev.Ast.Ap 17, 241 30.9 +/- 0.3 49.3 R.C. Kennicut. ApJ 228, 696 31.20 56.7 N. Visvanathan, D. Griersmith. ApJ 230, 1 31.26 +/- 0.16 58.2 1980 D. Branch et.al. Bull AAS 11, 694 32.0 +/- 0.6 81.9 B. Carney (cit. in Mould et.al 1980) 30.53 +/- 0.13 41.6 J. Mould et.al. ApJ 238, 458 30.98 +/- 0.08 51.2 1981 D. Branch et.al. ApJ 244, 780 31.81 +/- 0.28 75.0 N. Visvanathan. Proc ASA 4, 172 31.15 55.4 1982 W.D. Arnett. ApJ 254, 1 31.0 +/- 0.3 51.7 G. de Vaucouleurs. ApJ 253, 520 30.88 +/- 0.09 48.9 G. de Vaucouleurs, D. Olson. ApJ 256, 346 30.51 +/- 0.2 41.2 D.A. Hanes. MNRAS 201, 145 30.8 +/- 0.2 47.1 1983 M. Aaronson, J. Mould. ApJ 265, 1 31.08 +/- 0.11 53.7 R. Buta, G. de Vaucouleurs. ApJS 51, 149 30.69 +/- 0.3 44.8 R. Buta, G. de Vaucouleurs. ApJ 266, 1 30.63 +/- 0.2 43.6 D.A. Hanes. Highlights of Astronomy 6, 227 30.8 47.1 N. Visvanathan. ApJ 275, 430 31.37 61.3 1984 L. Bottinelli et.al. AApS 56, 381 30.88 +/- 0.15 48.9 O.-G. Richter, W.K. Huchtmeier. AAp 132, 253 31.90 +/- 0.30 78.2 R.B. Tully, E. Shaya. ApJ 281, 31 31.12 +/- 0.08 54.6 our value 31.325 60
Reference:


Hartmut Frommert
Christine Kronberg
[contact]

[SEDS] [MAA] [Home] [Back to the Virgo Cluster]

Last Modification: May 18, 2003