M101 Group
Loose group of galaxies in the constellation Ursa Major
title: "M101 Group" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["m101-group", "virgo-supercluster", "ursa-major"] description: "Loose group of galaxies in the constellation Ursa Major" topic_path: "general/m101-group" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M101_Group" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Loose group of galaxies in the constellation Ursa Major ::
| name = M101 Group | image = [[Image:M101 hires STScI-PRC2006-10a.jpg|350px]] | caption = The Pinwheel Galaxy, the brightest galaxy in the M101 Group | epoch=J2000 | ra = 14h 04m{{cite journal | author=A. Garcia | title=General study of group membership. II - Determination of nearby groups | journal=Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement | date=1993 | volume=100 | pages=47–90 | bibcode=1993A&AS..100...47G}}{{cite journal |author1=G. Giuricin |author2=C. Marinoni |author3=L. Ceriani |author4=A. Pisani | title=Nearby Optical Galaxies: Selection of the Sample and Identification of Groups | journal=Astrophysical Journal | date=2000 | volume=543 | issue=1 | pages=178–194 | bibcode=2000ApJ...543..178G | doi=10.1086/317070 |arxiv = astro-ph/0001140 |s2cid=9618325 }} | dec = +54° 31 | constellation = Ursa Major | member_no = 7-9 | brightest_member = Pinwheel Galaxy | other_names = NGC 5457 Group, LGG 371, NOGG H 758, NOGG P1 766, NOGG P2 781
The M101 Group is a loose group of galaxies located in the constellation 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.{{cite book | author=R. B. Tully | date=1988 | title=Nearby Galaxies Catalog | edition= | publisher=Cambridge University Press | location=Cambridge | isbn=0-521-35299-1}}{{cite journal |author1=P. Fouque |author2=E. Gourgoulhon |author3=P. Chamaraux |author4=G. Paturel | title=Groups of galaxies within 80 Mpc. II - The catalogue of groups and group members | journal=Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement | date=1992 | volume=93 | pages=211–233 | bibcode=1992A&AS...93..211F}} The group itself is one of many located within the Virgo Supercluster (i.e. the Local Supercluster).{{cite journal | author= R. B. Tully | title=The Local Supercluster | journal=Astrophysical Journal | date=1982 | volume=257 | pages=389–422 | bibcode=1982ApJ...257..389T | doi= 10.1086/159999 | doi-access=free
Members
The table below lists galaxies that have been consistently identified as group members in the Nearby Galaxies Catalog, the survey of Fouque et al., the Lyons Groups of Galaxies (LGG) Catalog, and the three group lists created from the Nearby Optical Galaxy sample of Giuricin et al.
::data[format=table title="'''Members of the M101 Group'''"]
| Name | Type{{cite web | R.A. (J2000) | Dec. (J2000) | Redshift (km/s) | Apparent Magnitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| title=NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database | work=Results for various galaxies | url=http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/ | accessdate=2006-10-15}} | ||
| Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) | SAB(rs)cd | 241 ± 2 | 8.3 | ||
| NGC 5204 | SA(s)m | 201 ± 1 | 11.7 | ||
| NGC 5474 | SA(s)cd pec | 273 ± 9 | 11.3 | ||
| NGC 5477 | SA(s)m | 304 ± 5 | 14.4 | ||
| NGC 5585 | SAB(s)d | 293 ± 2 | 11.2 | ||
| UGC 8837 | IB(s)m | 144 ± 3 | 13.8 | ||
| UGC 9405 | Im | 222 ± 6 | 17 | ||
| :: |
Other possible members galaxies (galaxies listed in only one or two of the lists from the above references) include the irregular galaxies NGC 5238 and UGC 8508.
Nearby groups
The M51 Group, which includes the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) and the Sunflower Galaxy (M63), is located to the southeast of the M101 Group, and the NGC 5866 Group is located to the northwest.{{cite journal |author1=L. Ferrarese |author2=H. C. Ford |author3=J. Huchra |author4=R. C. Kennicutt Jr. |author5=J. R. Mould |author6=S. Sakai |author7=W. L. Freedman |author8=P. B. Stetson |author9=B. F. Madore |author10=B. K. Gibson |author11=J. A. Graham |author12=S. M. Hughes |author13=G. D. Illingworth |author14=D. D. Kelson |author15=L. Macri |author16=K. Sebo |author17=N. A. Silbermann | title=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 | journal=Astrophysical Journal Supplement | date=2000 | volume=128 | issue=2 | pages=431–459 | bibcode=2000ApJS..128..431F | doi=10.1086/313391 |arxiv = astro-ph/9910501 |s2cid=121612286 }} 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 single large, loose, elongated group. However, most group identification methods (including those used by the references cited above) identify these three groups as separate entities.
References
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::