Next Section: Introduction

Large-Scale Structures Behind the Southern Milky Way from Observations of Partially Obscured Galaxies

R.C. Kraan-Korteweg
Observatoire de Paris-Meudon, D.A.E.C., 92195 Meudon Cedex, France
kraan@gin.obspm.fr
- P.A. Woudt
Dept. of Astronomy, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7700, South Africa
- P.A. Henning
Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, USA

Abstract:

We report here on extragalactic large-scale structures uncovered by a deep optical survey for galaxies behind the southern Milky Way. Systematic visual inspection of the ESO/SRC-survey revealed over 10000 previously unknown galaxies in the region . With subsequently obtained redshifts of more than 10% of these galaxies, new structures across the Milky Way are unveiled, such as a filament at km \ connecting to the Hydra and Antlia clusters, a shallow extended supercluster in Vela ( km ), and a nearby (4882 km ), very massive (), rich Coma-like cluster which seems to constitute the previously unidentified center of the Great Attractor.

The innermost part of the Milky Way where the foreground obscuration in the blue is , respectively HI-column densities remains fully opaque. In this approximately wide strip, the forthcoming blind HI-survey with the multi-beam system at Parkes will provide the only tool to unveil this part of the extragalactic sky.

Keywords: galaxies: distances and redshifts - large-scale structure of Universe - surveys

á© Copyright Astronomical Society of Australia 1997