| IC 342/Maffei Group | |
|---|---|
 Maffei 1, one of the brightest galaxies in the group | |
| Observation data (EpochJ2000) | |
| Constellation | Cassiopeia/Camelopardalis/Perseus |
| Brightest member | IC 342[1] |
| Number of galaxies | 16[1] |
| Other designations | |
| IC 342 Group, Maffei 1 Group,LGG 104 | |
TheIC 342/Maffei Group (also known as theIC 342 Group or theMaffei 1 Group) corresponds to one or twogalaxy groups close to theLocal Group. The member galaxies are mostly concentrated around eitherIC 342 orMaffei 1, which would be the brightest two galaxies in the group.[1] The group is part of theVirgo Supercluster.[2] However, recent studies have found that the two subgroups are unrelated; while the IC 342 group is the nearest galaxy group to the Milky Way, the Maffei 1 group is several times farther away, and is not gravitationally bound to the IC 342 group.[3][4]
The table below lists galaxies that have been identified as associated with the IC342/Maffei 1 Group by I. D. Karachentsev.[1][5] Note that Karachentsev divides this group into two subgroups centered aroundIC 342 andMaffei 1.
| Name | Type[6] | R.A. (J2000)[6] | Dec. (J2000)[6] | Redshift (km/s)[6] | Apparent Magnitude[6] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camelopardalis A | Irr | 04h 26m 16.3s | +72° 48′ 21″ | –46 ± 1 | 14.8 |
| Camelopardalis B | Irr | 04h 53m 07.1s | +67° 05′ 57″ | 77 | 16.1 |
| IC 342 | SAB(rs)cd | 03h 46m 48.5s | +68° 05′ 46″ | 31 ± 3 | 9.1 |
| KK 35 | Irr | 03h 45m 12.6s | +67° 51′ 51″ | 105 ± 1 | 17.2 |
| KKH 22[5] | dSph | 03h 44m 56.6s | +72° 03′ 52″ | 30 ± 10 | 15.3 |
| NGC 1560 | SA(s)d | 04h 32m 49.1s | +71° 52′ 59″ | –36 ± 5 | 12.2 |
| NGC 1569 | Sbrst | 04h 30m 49.1s | +64° 50′ 52,6″ | –104 ± 4 | 11.2 |
| UGCA 86 | Im | 03h 59m 50.5s | +67° 08′ 37″ | 67 ± 4 | 13.5 |
| UGCA 92 | Im | 04h 32m 04.9s | +63° 36′ 49.0″ | –99 ± 5 | 13.8 |
| UGCA 105 | Im | 05h 14m 15.3s | +62° 34′ 48″ | 111 ± 5 | 13.9 |
| Name | Type[6] | R.A. (J2000)[6] | Dec. (J2000)[6] | Redshift (km/s)[6] | Apparent Magnitude[6] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dwingeloo 1 | SB(s)cd | 02h 56m 51.9s | +58° 54′ 42″ | 110 | 8.3 |
| Dwingeloo 2 | Im | 02h 54m 08.5s | +59° 00′ 19″ | 94 ± 1 | 20.5 |
| KKH 11 | dE | 02h 24m 34.2s | +56° 00′ 43″ | 310 | 16.2 |
| KKH 12 | Irr | 02h 27m 26.9s | +57° 29′ 16″ | 70 | 17.8 |
| Maffei 1 | S0 pec | 02h 36m 35.4s | +59° 39′ 19″ | 13 ± 22 | 11.4 |
| Maffei 2 | SAB(rs)bc | 02h 41m 55.1s | +59° 36′ 15″ | –17 ± 5 | 16.0 |
| MB 1 | SAB(s)d | 02h 35m 36.5s | +59° 22′ 43″ | 190 ± 1 | 20.5 |
| MB 3 | dSph | 02h 55m 42.7s | +58° 51′ 37″ | 59 ± 1 | 17.33 |
Additionally,KKH 37 is listed as possibly being a member of the IC 342 Subgroup, andKKH 6 is listed as possibly being a member of the Maffei 1 Subgroup.[1]
As seen from Earth, the group lies near the plane of theMilky Way (a region sometimes called theZone of Avoidance). Consequently, the light from many of the galaxies is severely affected by dust obscuration within theMilky Way. This complicates observational studies of the group, as uncertainties in the dust obscuration also affect measurements of the galaxies'luminosities and distances as well as other related quantities.[1][7]
Moreover, the galaxies within the group have historically been difficult to identify. Many galaxies have only been discovered using late 20th century astronomical instrumentation. For example,Maffei 1 andMaffei 2 were only discovered in 1968 usinginfrared photographic images of the region.[8] Furthermore, it is difficult to determine whether some objects near IC 342 or Maffei 1 are galaxies associated with the IC 342/Maffei Group or diffuse foreground objects within the Milky Way that merely look like galaxies. For example, the objectsMB 2 andCamelopardalis C were once thought to be dwarf galaxies in the IC 342/Maffei Group but are now known to be objects within theMilky Way.[9]
Since the IC 342/Maffei Group and theLocal Group are located physically close to each other, the two groups may have influenced each other's evolution during the early stages of galaxy formation. An analysis of the velocities and distances to the IC 342/Maffei Group as measured by M. J. Valtonen and collaborators suggested thatIC 342 andMaffei 1 were moving faster than what could be accounted for in the expansion of the universe. They therefore suggested that IC 342 and Maffei 1 were ejected from the Local Group after a violent gravitational interaction with theAndromeda Galaxy during the early stages of the formation of the two groups.[10]
However, this interpretation is dependent on the distances measured to the galaxies in the group, which in turn is dependent on accurately measuring the degree to whichinterstellar dust in theMilky Way obscures the group.[7][11] More recent observations have demonstrated that the dust obscuration may have been previously overestimated, so the distances may have been underestimated. If these new distance measurements are correct, then the galaxies in the IC 342/Maffei Group appear to be moving at the rate expected from the expansion of the universe, and the scenario of a collision between the IC 342/Maffei Group and the Local Group would be implausible.[11]
