The Fornax and Eridanus clusters are two very famous clusters in the southern hemisphere. Although they look near to each other, they are separated by about 20 million light years. The nearer Fornax cluster is about 65 million light years from us, and the Eridanus cluster is about 85 million light years from us. There are many other groups of galaxies scattered around these two clusters and collectively these groups are often called the Fornax Supercluster or Southern Supercluster.
This is a map of the Fornax Cluster. This is the most famous of the two clusters because it has a compact core of galaxies scattered across two degrees of the sky which makes it a popular target for amateur astronomers. This cluster contains two huge galaxies - NGC 1316 and NGC 1365 - which are larger than any of the galaxies in the Virgo cluster.
Below - the two largest galaxies in the Fornax cluster. NGC 1316 (left) is a massive lenticular galaxy - the faint signs of spiral structure in this galaxy may indicate that it has recently swallowed a spiral galaxy. NGC 1316 is a powerful radio source (it is known as Fornax A by radio astronomers). Visible above the galaxy is NGC 1317 - a spiral galaxy which may become another victim of this huge galactic cannibal. NGC 1365 (right) is the most famous galaxy in the Fornax cluster. It is a barred spiral galaxy with a beautiful shape.
NGC 1316 | NGC 1365 |
This is a list of the main galaxies in the Fornax cluster. These are the 54 largest galaxies in this cluster. This is about one third of the number of comparable galaxies in the Virgo cluster.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Name Equatorial Blue Type Size Size RV Coordinates Mag (') kly km/s RA Dec ESO 357-07 03 10.4 -33 09 14.7 SBm 2.2 40 981 ESO 357-12 03 16.9 -35 32 14.8 SBcd 2.2 40 1445 IC 1913 03 19.6 -32 28 14.5 SBb 2.1 40 1318 NGC 1310 03 21.1 -37 06 13.0 SBc 1.9 35 1640 PGC 12625 03 22.1 -37 35 ? Irr 2.9 55 1507 NGC 1316 03 22.7 -37 12 9.8 S0 11.5 215 1664 NGC 1317 03 22.7 -37 06 11.9 SBa 3.0 55 1815 NGC 1326 03 23.9 -36 28 11.5 S0 4.3 80 1247 NGC 1326A 03 25.1 -36 22 14.7 SBm 1.7 30 1719 NGC 1326B 03 25.3 -36 23 13.7 SBm 3.5 65 888 IC 1919 03 26.0 -32 54 13.9 E 1.6 30 1158 NGC 1336 03 26.5 -35 43 13.4 E 1.9 35 1360 NGC 1341 03 28.0 -37 09 13.3 SBab 1.6 30 1760 NGC 1339 03 28.1 -32 17 12.8 E 1.9 35 1240 NGC 1344 03 28.3 -31 04 11.2 E 5.6 105 1052 NGC 1351A 03 28.8 -35 11 14.2 SBbc 2.3 45 1241 ESO 358-10 03 29.7 -33 33 14.8 E 1.5 30 1620 NGC 1351 03 30.6 -34 51 12.4 E 3.2 60 1420 NGC 1350 03 31.1 -33 38 11.2 SBab 5.8 110 1785 NGC 1365 03 33.6 -36 08 10.3 SBb 11.0 205 1547 NGC 1366 03 33.9 -31 12 13.1 S0 1.9 35 1137 NGC 1374 03 35.3 -35 14 12.0 E 2.7 50 1240 NGC 1375 03 35.3 -35 16 13.4 S0 2.1 40 643 IC 335 03 35.5 -34 27 13.4 S0 2.3 45 1530 NGC 1379 03 36.1 -35 26 11.9 E 2.6 50 1264 NGC 1380 03 36.5 -34 59 11.1 S0 4.8 90 1737 NGC 1381 03 36.5 -35 18 12.7 S0 2.6 50 1673 NGC 1369 03 36.8 -36 15 13.6 Sa 1.7 30 1340 NGC 1386 03 36.8 -36 00 12.2 S0 3.4 65 755 NGC 1380A 03 36.8 -34 44 13.4 S0 2.5 45 1419 NGC 1387 03 37.0 -35 30 11.8 E 3.2 60 1219 NGC 1382 03 37.1 -35 12 13.8 E 1.5 30 1697 NGC 1389 03 37.2 -35 45 12.6 E 2.6 50 883 NGC 1399 03 38.5 -35 27 10.3 E 6.8 130 1335 NGC 1404 03 38.9 -35 36 10.9 E 4.1 75 1826 NGC 1406 03 39.4 -31 19 12.9 SBbc 3.9 75 963 NGC 1427A 03 40.1 -35 38 14.2 Irr 2.1 40 1927 ESO 358-50 03 41.1 -33 47 13.9 S0 1.6 30 1151 ESO 358-51 03 41.5 -34 53 14.1 Sa 1.5 30 1626 NGC 1425 03 42.2 -29 54 11.4 Sb 6.0 115 1402 NGC 1427 03 42.3 -35 24 11.8 E 3.6 70 1327 NGC 1428 03 42.4 -35 09 14.0 E 1.5 30 1602 ESO 358-54 03 43.0 -36 16 14.2 SBd 1.7 30 798 NGC 1437 03 43.6 -35 51 12.9 SBab 2.8 50 1296 ESO 358-60 03 45.2 -35 34 15.6 Irr 1.7 30 710 ESO 358-61 03 45.9 -36 22 14.0 Sc 2.5 45 1415 NGC 1460 03 46.2 -36 42 13.5 S0 1.7 30 1277 ESO 358-63 03 46.3 -34 57 12.6 Sc 4.8 90 1838 IC 1993 03 47.1 -33 42 12.5 SBb 2.5 45 1004 ESO 302-09 03 47.6 -38 35 14.6 SBd 2.2 40 908 ESO 302-14 03 51.7 -38 27 15.5 Irr 1.5 30 798 ESO 359-03 03 52.0 -33 28 14.1 Sab 1.8 35 1495 NGC 1484 03 54.3 -36 58 13.9 Sb 2.5 45 952 IC 2006 03 54.5 -35 58 12.5 E 1.9 35 1285 |
Column 1: The usual name of the galaxy. Column 2: The Right Ascension for epoch 2000. Column 3: The Declination for epoch 2000. Column 4: The blue apparent magnitude of the galaxy. Column 5: The galaxy type: E=Elliptical, S0=Lenticular, Sa,Sb,Sc,Sd=Spiral, SBa,SBb,SBc,SBd=Barred Spiral, Sm,SBm,Irr=Irregular. Column 6: The angular diameter of the galaxy (arcminutes). Column 7: The diameter of the galaxy (thousands of light years). Column 8: The recessional velocity (km/s) of the galaxy relative to the cosmic microwave background. References: The HyperLeda Database, (2003).
Below - three more galaxies in the Fornax cluster. NGC 1350 (left) is large barred spiral galaxy. NGC 1399 (centre) is the large elliptical galaxy at the heart of the cluster. NGC 1404 (right) is another large elliptical galaxy near NGC 1399.
NGC 1350 | NGC 1399 | NGC 1404 |
Shown below is a picture of the middle of the Fornax Cluster. The cluster has a compact core containing a lot of bright galaxies which means that it actually looks better on a photograph than the Virgo cluster. The bright elliptical galaxy in the centre is NGC 1399, and the famous barred-spiral galaxy NGC 1365 can be seen at the bottom-right corner.
Properties of the Fornax Cluster | |
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Equatorial Coordinates | RA=03h35m Dec=-36° |
Galactic Coordinates | l=238° b=-54° |
Supergalactic Coordinates | L=262° B=-41° |
Distance to the centre of the cluster | 65 million light years |
Number of large galaxies in the cluster | 54 |
Alternative names for the cluster | Fornax I cluster |
This is a map of the Eridanus Cluster. This cluster is less spectacular than the Fornax cluster, partly because the galaxies are spread across a larger area and partly because the cluster is rather further and hence dimmer than the Fornax cluster. The Eridanus cluster is roughly split into two halves: a northern subgroup around NGC 1407 and a southern subgroup around NGC 1395.
Below - three spiral galaxies in the Eridanus cluster. NGC 1300 is a large barred spiral galaxy. NGC 1371 (centre) and NGC 1385 (right) are two spiral galaxies to the south of the centre of the cluster and probably close companions.
NGC 1300 | NGC 1371 | NGC 1385 |
This is a list of the 73 largest galaxies in the Eridanus cluster. This is a longer list than that for the Fornax cluster. The Eridanus cluster seems to be the slightly larger and the slightly richer of the two clusters.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Name Equatorial Blue Type Size Size RV Coordinates Mag (') kly km/s RA Dec ESO 547-09 03 06.0 -19 23 16.8 Irr 1.3 35 1509 ESO 547-12 03 09.6 -17 50 16.5 Scd 1.5 35 1837 NGC 1232 03 09.8 -20 35 10.7 SBc 6.9 170 1517 IC 1898 03 10.3 -22 24 13.7 SBc 3.4 85 1164 ESO 547-20 03 13.0 -17 56 16.0 SBm 1.2 30 1825 NGC 1258 03 14.1 -21 46 13.9 SBc 1.3 30 1340 NGC 1297 03 19.2 -19 06 13.5 E 2.0 50 1395 NGC 1300 03 19.7 -19 25 11.2 SBbc 6.0 150 1421 NGC 1315 03 23.1 -21 23 14.0 S0 1.5 35 1534 PGC 12680 03 23.4 -19 17 ? Irr 1.3 30 1400 ESO 548-05 03 23.8 -19 45 14.7 SBm 1.5 35 1690 NGC 1325 03 24.4 -21 33 12.3 SBbc 4.7 115 1446 NGC 1325A 03 24.8 -21 20 13.6 SBcd 1.8 45 1188 ESO 548-16 03 26.0 -21 20 15.6 Scd 1.7 40 1977 NGC 1332 03 26.3 -21 20 11.4 E 4.2 105 1383 ESO 548-21 03 27.6 -21 14 14.7 SBd 2.0 50 1541 ESO 548-25 03 29.0 -22 09 15.0 SBa 1.3 30 1542 NGC 1345 03 29.5 -17 47 14.3 SBc 1.4 35 1385 ESO 481-30 03 29.6 -23 21 15.5 Scd 1.5 35 1504 NGC 1347 03 29.7 -22 17 13.9 SBc 1.4 35 1624 ESO 548-28 03 30.6 -17 56 14.0 S0 1.3 35 1360 ESO 548-29 03 30.8 -21 03 14.3 SBbc 1.1 30 1175 NGC 1353 03 32.1 -20 49 12.4 SBb 3.5 85 1390 ESO 548-32 03 32.3 -17 43 15.8 SBm 1.6 40 1815 ESO 548-33 03 32.5 -18 57 14.5 S0 1.3 35 1552 ESO 548-34 03 33.0 -21 05 14.6 SBc 1.1 30 1610 ESO 482-05 03 33.0 -24 08 15.2 SBcd 2.1 50 1783 IC 1952 03 33.4 -23 43 13.5 SBbc 2.5 60 1683 IC 1953 03 33.7 -21 29 12.7 SBc 2.6 65 1733 NGC 1359 03 33.8 -19 29 13.0 SBm 2.1 55 1833 NGC 1362 03 33.9 -20 17 14.2 S0 1.2 30 1085 ESO 548-44 03 34.3 -19 25 14.2 S0 1.3 35 1561 ESO 548-47 03 34.7 -19 02 14.1 S0 2.5 60 1472 NGC 1371 03 35.0 -24 56 11.6 SBa 5.6 140 1344 NGC 1370 03 35.2 -20 22 13.9 E 1.5 35 933 IC 1962 03 35.6 -21 18 14.8 SBd 2.5 60 1670 ESO 482-11 03 36.3 -25 36 14.7 Sbc 1.4 35 1469 NGC 1377 03 36.7 -20 54 13.8 S0 1.7 45 1645 NGC 1385 03 37.5 -24 30 11.5 SBc 3.7 90 1373 NGC 1383 03 37.7 -18 20 13.8 S0 1.7 40 1828 ESO 482-17 03 37.7 -22 55 14.9 Sab 1.3 30 1330 NGC 1390 03 37.9 -19 00 14.9 SBa 1.3 35 1078 NGC 1395 03 38.5 -23 02 10.7 E 5.6 140 1577 NGC 1398 03 38.9 -26 20 10.5 SBab 7.1 175 1289 NGC 1403 03 39.2 -22 23 14.1 E 1.3 30 1751 NGC 1401 03 39.4 -22 43 13.7 S0 1.9 50 1406 NGC 1400 03 39.5 -18 41 12.3 E 2.3 60 415 ESO 548-63 03 39.6 -20 01 15.1 Sbc 1.4 35 1846 ESO 548-65 03 40.0 -19 22 15.3 Sa 1.4 35 1102 IC 343 03 40.1 -18 27 14.3 S0 1.4 35 1730 NGC 1407 03 40.2 -18 35 10.9 E 5.1 125 1650 ESO 548-68 03 40.3 -18 56 14.3 E 1.3 35 1636 NGC 1412 03 40.5 -26 52 14.7 S0 1.4 35 1675 ESO 548-70 03 40.7 -22 17 15.4 SBcd 1.6 40 1615 ESO 482-32 03 40.7 -26 47 15.9 Irr 1.2 30 1621 NGC 1415 03 40.9 -22 34 12.8 Sa 3.3 80 1451 NGC 1414 03 41.0 -21 43 14.6 SBbc 1.6 40 1464 ESO 482-35 03 41.2 -23 50 14.2 SBab 1.8 45 1756 NGC 1422 03 41.5 -21 41 14.2 SBab 2.3 55 1514 IC 346 03 41.7 -18 16 13.9 S0 1.9 45 1830 ESO 548-79 03 41.9 -18 54 14.8 Sa 1.1 30 1914 ESO 548-82 03 42.7 -17 30 15.4 Sbc 1.1 30 1590 NGC 1426 03 42.8 -22 06 12.7 E 2.5 60 1296 ESO 549-02 03 43.0 -19 01 14.9 SBm 1.3 30 988 ESO 549-06 03 43.6 -21 14 15.7 Irr 1.3 30 1490 NGC 1439 03 44.8 -21 55 12.4 E 2.6 65 1577 NGC 1440 03 45.0 -18 16 12.9 S0 2.2 55 1403 NGC 1438 03 45.3 -23 00 13.3 SBa 2.0 50 1438 NGC 1452 03 45.4 -18 38 12.9 Sa 2.3 60 1619 ESO 549-18 03 48.2 -21 28 13.3 SBc 2.5 60 1473 ESO 482-46 03 49.7 -27 00 13.7 Sc 3.5 90 1422 ESO 482-49 03 52.4 -23 03 15.3 Sc 1.1 30 1377 NGC 1482 03 54.6 -20 30 13.3 S0 2.2 55 1753 |
Column 1: The usual name of the galaxy. Column 2: The Right Ascension for epoch 2000. Column 3: The Declination for epoch 2000. Column 4: The blue apparent magnitude of the galaxy. Column 5: The galaxy type: E=Elliptical, S0=Lenticular, Sa,Sb,Sc,Sd=Spiral, SBa,SBb,SBc,SBd=Barred Spiral, Sm,SBm,Irr=Irregular. Column 6: The angular diameter of the galaxy (arcminutes). Column 7: The diameter of the galaxy (thousands of light years). Column 8: The recessional velocity (km/s) of the galaxy relative to the cosmic microwave background. References: The HyperLeda Database, (2003).
Below - three more galaxies in the Eridanus cluster. NGC 1395 (left) is the largest elliptical galaxy in the southern half of the cluster. NGC 1398 (centre) is a large spiral galaxy at the southern edge of the cluster. NGC 1407 (right) is the largest elliptical galaxy in the northern half of the cluster.
NGC 1395 | NGC 1398 | NGC 1407 |
Shown below is NGC 1232. Located to the right of the cluster, this is another of the many spiral galaxies located in this group. This is one the most beautiful galaxies in the cluster because of its multiple spiral arms.
Properties of the Eridanus Cluster | |
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Equatorial Coordinates | RA=03h35m Dec=-22° |
Galactic Coordinates | l=214° b=-53° |
Supergalactic Coordinates | L=281° B=-43° |
Distance to the centre of the cluster | 85 million light years |
Number of large galaxies in the cluster | 73 |
Alternative names for the cluster | Fornax II cluster |