Spatial distribution of galaxies and of clusters of galaxies in the southern galactic hemisphere

The spatial distribution of galaxies and of clusters of galaxies in the southern galactic hemisphere to the north of the declination − 15− with redshifts not exceeding 15000 km/s has been studied. It is shown that the majority of clusters of galaxies form chains. A conspicuous chain in the area of the sky studied consists of three rich clusters (A 262, 347 and 426 – the Perseus cluster) and five smaller clusters. The majority of the main galaxies of these clusters are radio sources with extended optical halos. The field galaxies located in the vicinity form a thin stratum with dimensions 70 × 140 Mpc which together with the Perseus chain can be considered as the Perseus supercluster. Table 1 presents data on nine probable superclusters. Superclusters have a non-symmetrical form, the richest cluster may be located on top of the supercluster, as it is the case in the Perseus super-cluster. Probably all rich clusters in the area studied are associated with superclusters. The mean matter density in superclusters probably exceeds the critical cosmological density.