The Sculptor Group of Galaxies (also South Polar Group)

This is the closest group of galaxies to our Local Group, at only about 10 million light years distance. It is named the Sculptor Group as it is centered in the Southern constellation Sculptor, and South Polar Group as its members are grouped around the South galactic pole (which is at RA 00:51.4, Dec -27:07 (2000.0)).

The group is dominated by bright NGC 253, the Sculptor or Silver Coin Galaxy, one of the brightest galaxies beyong the Local Group in the skies. All the group's members are listed in the following:

NGC 55 (left in our image)
NGC 247
NGC 253 (center in our image)
NGC 300 (right in image)
NGC 675
NGC 7793
IC 1574 (*) (DDO 226, UGCA 9).
SDIG, the Sculptor Dwarf Irregular Galaxy (ESO 349-G31, PGC 621)
A 143 (*) (ESO 245-G05, PGC 6430)
E 471-G06 (*) (UGCA 442)
E 407-G18 (*) (UGCA 438, UKS 2323-326)
DDO 6, 40' ESE of NGC 247 (*) (UGCA 15)
E 294-G10 (*) (PGC 1641)
E 410-G05 (*) (PGC 1038)

(*) indicates membership according to Bryan Miller's research at Leiden University.

Moreover, NGC 45 and IC 5332 were once dealt as a possible member of this group of galaxies, but their larger redshift (504 km/s for NGC 45, and 706 km/s for IC 5332 compared to about 90-250 km/s for the larger member galaxies) indicates that these galaxies are more probably background objects.

The first evidence of intergalactic matter was discovered in the Sculptor group of galaxies in 1974, in intergalactic space between NGC 55 and NGC 300.

The photos displayed here were all taken with the 3.9-meter Anglo-Australian Telescope and are copyrighted © Anglo-Australian Observatory. For any but private usage of these images please contact the Photo Permissions Department (photo at aaoepp.aao.gov.au) of the Anglo-Australian Observatory. Astronomical data for the Sculptor Group galaxies:

Name       Con  RA (2000)  Dec  Type      m_v   dim        RV    Discoverer, Names, Remarks

E 407-G018 Scl  23:26.5 -32:23  IB(s)m p: 13.9   1.5x 1.2  + 62  Longmore et.al. (1978), UGCA 438, UKS 2323-326; LG?
E 471-G006 Scl  23:43.8 -31:57  SB(s)m:sp 13.6   6.4x 0.9  +267  UGCA 442
NGC 7793   Scl  23:57.8 -32:35  Sdm        9.1   2.6x 1.9  +214  Dun 608, GC 6233 (GP Bond)
SDIG       Scl  00:08.2 -34:35  IBm       15.5   1.1x 0.9  +207  Lautsen et.al. (1977)
NGC 55     Scl  00:14.9 -39:11  SBm:       8.2  32.4x 6.5  + 98  Dun 507, h 2315; LG?
E 410-G005 Scl  00:15.5 -32:11  E3:       14.85  1.3x 1.0  
E 294-G010 Phe  00:26.6 -41:51  dS0/Im    15.6   1.1x 0.7  +117
IC 1574    Cet  00:43.1 -22:15  IB(s)m    15.1   2.1x 0.8  +361  DDO 226, UGCA 9, D.S. 115
NGC 247    Cet  00:47.1 -20:46  S- IV      8.9  20.0x 7.4  +180: H V.20
NGC 253    Scl  00:47.6 -25:17  Scp        7.1  25.1x 7.4  +259  CH; H V.1
DDO 6      Cet  00:49.8 -21:01  IB(s)m    15.2   1.7x 0.7  +301  UGCA 15
NGC 300    Scl  00:54.9 -37:41  Sd III-IV  8.7p 20.0x14.8  + 97: Dun 530, h 2359
A 0143     Phe  01:45.1 -43:36  IB(s)m    12.7   3.6x 3.2  +395  ESO 245-G005, PGC 6430
NGC 625    Phe  01:35.1 -41:26  SBm:      12.3p  3.0x 1.3  +317  Dun 479, h 2426

Probable background galaxies:

NGC 45     Cet  00:14.1 -23:11  S- IV-V   10.4   8.1x 5.8  +508  h 2313
IC 5332    Scl  23:34.5 -36:06  Sd        10.6   6.6x 5.1  +706  Dun 546, Swift XI

References

Bryan W. Miller, 1996. The Star Formation Histories of Sculptor Group Dwarf Galaxies. I. Current Star Formation Rates and Oxygen Abundances. Astronomical Journal, Vol. 112, No. 3, p. 991-1008 (September 1996)

Hartmut Frommert
Christine Kronberg
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Last Modification: March 8, 1998