﹩N_{c}( M_{r}) ﹩ plotted in both redshift space and real space, for close pairs (﹩5{\mbox{--}} 20\ h^{-1}﹩ kpc). For both SDSS and Millennium, conversion from redshift space to real space pair statistics (i.e., the removal of projection effects) was carried out by multiplying ﹩N_{c}( M_{r}) ﹩ by the Millennium ﹩f_{3\mathrm{D}\,}( M_{r}) ﹩. The right‐hand axis displays the corresponding scale for the galaxy merger rate (﹩\mathstrut{\cal R} _{\mathrm{mg}\,}﹩), and is relevant only for measurements in real space.