Image Details
Caption: Figure 14.
B-band luminosity function of the Virgo cluster from Sandage et al. (1985) compared to more recent measurements. The solid curve is the best-fit Schechter function (α = −1.3) obtained for the entire cluster and all galaxy types (Sandage et al. 1985). As subsequent studies have typically surveyed only a fraction of the cluster, these measurements have been normalized by area to compare with those of Sandage et al. (1985). The exception is the study of Rines & Geller (2008) which relied on SDSS spectroscopy of galaxies within 1 Mpc of M87. There is significant scatter in the luminosity functions fainter than B ~ 17 mag, with published faint-end slopes ranging from α ≈ −1.3 to −2.2. As it is based entirely on SDSS radial velocities, the value of α = −1.3 from Rines & Geller (2008) is a firm lower limit on the faint-end slope down to B ~ 18 mag ( M B ~ −13 mag), although brighter, but low surface brightness members could also have been excluded in the SDSS spectroscopic survey.
Other Images in This Article
Show More
Copyright and Terms & Conditions
© 2012. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.
