Sculptor Group
The Sculptor Group is a loose group of galaxies visible near the south galactic pole. The group is one of the closest groups of galaxies to the Local Group; the distance to the center of the group from the Milky Way is approximately 3.9 Mpc (12.7 Mly).
| Sculptor group | |
|---|---|
| Observation data (Epoch J2000) | |
| Constellation(s) | Sculptor/Cetus |
| Right ascension | 00h 48m |
| Declination | −25° 17′ |
| Brightest member | Sculptor Galaxy (NGC 253) |
| Number of galaxies | 13 |
| Other designations | |
| NGC 253 Group, LGG 4, Sculptor Filament, South Polar Group, South Galactic Pole Group | |
The Sculptor Galaxy (NGC 253) and a few other galaxies form a gravitationally-bound core in the center of this group. A few other galaxies at the periphery may be associated with the group but may not be gravitationally bound. Because most of the galaxies in this group are actually weakly gravitationally bound, the group may also be described as a filament. It is considered to be at an early stage of evolution in which galaxies are still falling into the group along filamentary structures.
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