The Galaxies of the Local Group

A comprehensive summary of what is known about the Local Group, and what this knowledge tells us about the rest of the Universe.

Sidney Bergh (Author)

9780521037433, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 2 July 2007

348 pages, 103 b/w illus. 82 tables
24.3 x 16.9 x 1.7 cm, 0.57 kg

'Sidney van den Bergh's The Galaxies of the Local Group gives one insight into the magnitude of the problem by describing in some detail the 35-odd galaxies that are our nearest neighbours … all chapters are packed with invaluable information on the morphology, photometry, kinematics and stellar content of each object. The text is accompanied by nice photographs and useful tables. Any good astronomy library should hold this book, and many research astronomers would benefit from returning to it again and again.' James Binney, Astronomy & Geophysics

The Local Group is a small cluster of galaxies that includes the Milky Way. At least half of all galaxies in the Universe are thought to belong to similar groups. This authoritative volume provides a comprehensive synthesis of what is known about the Local Group. It begins with a summary of each member galaxy, as well as those galaxies previously regarded as possible members. The book examines the mass, stability and evolution of the Local Group as a whole and includes many important previously unpublished results and conclusions. With clarity, Professor van den Bergh provides a masterful summary of all that is known about the galaxies of the Local Group and their evolution, and expertly places this knowledge in the wider context of on-going studies of galaxy formation and evolution, the cosmic distance scale, and the conditions in the early Universe.

Preface
1. Introduction
2. Local group membership
3. The Andromeda galaxy (M31)
4. The Milky Way system
5. The Triangulum galaxy (M33)
6. The Large Magellanic Cloud
7. The Small Magellanic Cloud
8. The elliptical galaxy M32 (= NGC 221)
9. The irregular dwarf galaxy NGC 6822
10. The starburst galaxy IC 10
11. Faint dwarf irregular galaxies
12. Spheroidal galaxies
13. The most luminous dwarf spheroidal galaxies
14. Dwarf spheroidals in the Andromeda subgroup
15. Faint dwarf spheroidals
16. The outer fringes of the Local Group
17. Intergalactic matter in the Local Group
18. Dynamical and physical evolution
19. Properties of the Local Group
20. Conclusions
Glossary
Bibliography
Object index.

Subject Areas: Astrophysics [PHVB], Nuclear physics [PHN]