Large-scale structure of galaxies in the Ophiuchus region

Abstract

The large-scale structure around the Ophiuchus cluster of galaxies in the vicinity of the Galactic Centre (l = 0°.5, b = 9°,5, cz = 8500 km s-1) is investigated on the basis of a galaxy survey and spectroscopic observations made for a 12° × 17° area. The galaxy survey was performed using six ESO/SERC Sky Survey Atlas films, and 4021 galaxies were detected in total. Recession velocities were newly obtained for 179 galaxies to make the total number of galaxies in the survey area with known velocities 219. In the distribution of bright galaxies, we identified seven new clumps of galaxies. Comparing the surface number density of bright galaxies with the Galactic extinction, which is estimated from the 100-μm flux density in the IRAS Sky Survey Atlas, we demonstrate that the seven clumps are not spurious as a result of the inhomogeneity of the Galactic extinction. Among the seven clumps, two are found to be clusters and four to be groups on the basis of the histogram of recession velocities and the number of member galaxies. The Ophiuchus cluster, two newly identified clusters, and four groups are all concentrated at 9000 km s-1. Field galaxies are also distributed centred at 8500 km s-1. Hence field galaxies occupy a common three-dimensional region with galaxies in the clusters and groups, and altogether they form a large-scale structure of supercluster size. As opposed to the overdensity in the supercluster region, the mean number density of galaxies in the velocity range 0-5000 km s-1 is only 25 per cent of the mean number density of the Universe, comparable with the density of the well-known Böotes void. Hence this nearby three-dimensional region in Ophiuchus is a void of galaxies also.