The brightest galaxies outside the Local Group
(to apparent visual mag. 9.0)
Galaxy
RA
h   m
dec
°   ’
Type
Distance
(M l.y.)
Dimensions
(arc min)
a
Apparent
magnitude
NGC 5128 = Cen A
13  25
–43  01
S0 + S (pec)
12.5 b
25.7 x 20.0
6.8
NGC 3031 = M81
09  56
+69  04
Sb
11.8 c
26.9 x 14.1
6.9
NGC 253
00  48
–25  17
Sc
12.9 d
27.5 x 6.8
7.2
NGC 5236 = M83
13  37
–29  52
SBc
14.6 e
12.9 x 11.5
7.5
NGC 55
00  15
–39  13
Sc
5.9 d
32.4 x 5.6
7.9
NGC 5457 = M101
14  03
+54  21
Sc
21.9 c
28.8 x 26.9
7.9
NGC 4594 = M104
12  40
–11  37
Sa/b
30.4 f
8.7 x 3.5
8.0
NGC 300
00  54
–37  41
Sc
6.5 c, g
21.9 x 15.5
8.1
NGC 4736 = M94
12  51
+41  07
Sab
15.2 h
11.2 x 9.1
8.2
NGC 3034 = M82
09  56
+69  41
Amorphous
11.5 i
11.2 x 4.3
8.4
NGC 4258 = M106
12  19
+47  18
Sb
25.6 j
18.6 x 7.2
8.4
NGC 4472 = M49
12  30
+08  00
E1/S0
V
10.2 x 8.3
8.4
NGC 5194 = M51
13  30
+47  12
Sbc
26.1 k
11.2 x 6.9
8.4
NGC 1291
03  17
–41  06
SBa
36? l
9.8 x 8.1
8.5
NGC 1316 = Fornax A
03  23
–37  12
Sa (pec)
F
12.0 x 8.5
8.5
NGC 2403
07  37
+65  36
Sc
10.5 c
21.9 x 12.3
8.5
NGC 4826 = M64
12  57
+21  41
Sab
24.5 m
10.0 x 5.4
8.5
NGC 4486 = M87
12  31
+12  23
E0
V
8.3 x 6.6
8.6
NGC 5055 = M63
13  16
+42  02
Sbc
31–34 n
12.6 x 7.2
8.6
NGC 1313
03  18
–66  30
SBc
13.5 o
9.1 x 6.9
8.7
NGC 4649 = M60
12  44
+11  33
S0
V
7.4 x 6.0
8.8
NGC 6946
20  35
+60  09
Sc
19.2 p
11.5 x 9.8
8.8
NGC 1068 = M77
02  43
–00  01
Sb
47.0 q
7.1 x 6.0
8.9
NGC 3115
10  05
–07  43
S0
31.6 m
7.2 x 2.5
8.9
NGC 3627 = M66
11  20
+12  59
Sb
32.8 c
9.1 x 4.2
8.9
NGC 4406 = M86
12  26
+12  57
S0/E3
V
8.9 x 5.8
8.9

V = member of the Virgo Cluster. The cluster distance adopted by the HST Key Project is 14.6 Mpc = 47.6 million l.y.
F = member of the Fornax cluster. The cluster distance adopted by the HST Key Project is 18.3 Mpc = 59.7 million l.y.
a The dimensions are maximum sizes as measured on photographs; the sizes as seen visually will be smaller. Some of the galaxies have low surface brightness and hence are not as prominent visually as the simple magnitude figure would suggest.
b M. Rejkuba, Astronomy and Astrophysics, vol. 413, pp. 903–912 (2004). Roberto Soria et al. found 11.9 million l.y. (The Astrophysical Journal, vol.465, pp. 79–90, 1996). I. D. Karachentsev et al. found a mean distance to the Centaurus A group of 11.8 million l.y. (Astronomy and Astrophysics, vol. 385, pp. 21–31, 2002).
c Distance as measured by the Hubble Space Telescope Key Project. See Wendy L. Freedman et al., Final Results from the Hubble Space Telescope Key Project to Measure the Hubble Constant, The Astrophysical Journal, vol. 553, pp. 47–72 (2001).
d I. D Karachentsev et al., Astronomy and Astrophysics, vol. 404, pp. 93–111 (2003).
e Frank Thim et al., The Astrophysical Journal, vol. 590, pp. 256–270 (2003). I. D. Karachentsev et al. found a mean distance to the M83 group of 14.9 million l.y. (Astronomy and Astrophysics, vol. 385, pp. 21–31, 2002).
f Igor D. Karachentsev et al., The Astronomical Journal, vol. 127, pp. 2031–2068 (2004). H. C. Ford et al. found 29.0 million l.y. (The Astrophysical Journal, vol. 458, pp. 455–466, 1996), although this increases to about 30 million l.y. when more recent values for the distance of M31 and foreground extinction are used for calibration.
g Wolfgang Gieren et al. found a Cepheid distance of 6.3 million l.y. (Astronomical Journal, vol. 128, pp. 1167–1176, 2004).
h I. D. Karachentsev et al., Astronomy and Astrophysics, vol. 398, pp. 467–477 (2003). John L. Tonry et al. found 17.0 million l.y. (The Astrophysical Journal, vol. 546, pp. 681–693, 2001).
i Igor D. Karachentsev et al., The Astronomical Journal, vol. 127, pp. 2031–2068 (2004).
j Jeffrey A. Newman et al., The Astrophysical Journal, vol. 553, pp. 562–574 (2001). The HST Key Project team found 26.0 (Wendy L. Freedman et al., The Astrophysical Journal, vol. 553, pp. 47–72, 2001)
k Igor D. Karachentsev et al., The Astronomical Journal, vol. 127, pp. 2031–2068 (2004). John L. Tonry et al. found 25.0 million l.y. (The Astrophysical Journal, vol. 546, pp. 681–693, 2001). John J. Feldmeier, Robin Ciardullo and George H. Jacoby found 27.4 million l.y. (The Astrophysical Journal, vol. 479, pp. 231–243, 1997).
l Adopted by David E. Hogg et al., The Astronomical Journal, vol. 121, pp. 1336–1357 (2001).
m John L. Tonry et al., The Astrophysical Journal, vol. 546, pp. 681–693 (2001).
n HyperLeda database.
o Bryan Méndez et al., The Astronomical Journal, vol. 124, pp. 213–233 (2002).
p I. D. Karachentsev, M. E. Sharina and W. K. Huchtmeier, Astronomy and Astrophysics, vol. 362, pp. 544–556 (2000).
q J. Bland-Hawthorn et al., Astrophysics and Space Science, vol. 248, pp. 9–19 (1997).

Other sources:ÊMagnitudes and dimensions from The Astronomical Almanac; types from Allan Sandage and G. A. Tammann, Revised Shapley–Ames Catalog of Bright Galaxies, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 1987.


Last updated 2005 January


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