Abstract
A survey of rich galaxy clusters, redshifts for many of
those clusters, and galaxy counts by eye to B = 19.0 show the Indus
Supercluster to be an annular (in projection) configuration of nine
rich clusters at 0.073 < z < 0.080 apparently connected by bridges of
galaxies.
Photoelectrically calibrated photographic photometry of
galaxy images on six U.K. Schmidt plates using the COSMOS machine
at the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, gave photometric information
for about 150,000 galaxies. From this, the luminosity function of
the Indus Supercluster was extracted. To B = 21.5, the Supercluster
includes about 25,000 galaxies, its estimated total luminosity
is 7 x10¹³ L₀, and - if its mass-to-light ratio is typical - its
total mass is 1 x 10¹⁶M. Its diameter is about 40 Mpc. These
parameters make it similar to other known superclusters.
In addition, the integrated apparent field luminosity function
for galaxies, derived from the 140 square degrees of sky
scanned on Schmidt plates by COSMOS, agrees with most previous
determinations.
The general picture of a sponge -like cellular distribution
of galaxies as developed by Einasto and his colleagues is confirmed.
Though there are some indications that this structure is primordial,
neither data nor theories are yet sufficient to allow an adequate
explanation of the development of such structure in the universe.
