Clustering of Local Group distances: publication bias or correlated measurements? VI. Extending to Virgo cluster distances

Abstract

We have established an internally consistent Local Group distance framework, using the Galactic Center, the Large Magellanic Cloud, and Messier 31 (M31) as important stepping stones. At greater distances, few distance benchmarks are available. As a consequence, M87 and/or Virgo cluster distances are often invoked as the next rung on the ladder to more distant objects such as the Fornax and Coma clusters. Therefore, we extensively mined the published literature for independently derived distance estimates to either M87 or the center of the Virgo cluster. Based on our newly compiled, comprehensive database of 213 such distances, published between 1929 and 2017 July, we recommend an outward extension to our distance framework, $(m-M{)}_0^{M87}=31.03\pm 0.14$ mag ($D=16.07\pm 1.03$ Mpc; where the uncertainty represents the Gaussian $\sigma$ of the distribution), based on a subset of recent (post-1990) M87/Virgo cluster distance measurements. The most stable distance tracers employed here were derived from analysis of both primary and secondary distance indicators. Among the former, we preferentially rely on Cepheid period--luminosity relations and red-giant-branch terminal magnitudes; our preferred secondary distance tracers are surface brightness fluctuations. Our updated distance modulus to M87 implies a slightly reduced black hole mass of $(5.9\pm 0.6)\times 10^9{M}_{\odot }$ with respect to that determined by the Event Horizon Telescope collaboration.

arXiv comment10 pages, 2 figures; ApJS, in press

References in corpus (36)

• First M87 Event Horizon Telescope Results. I. The Shadow of the Supermassive Black Hole
• Final Results from the Hubble Space Telescope Key Project to Measure the Hubble Constant
• The SBF Survey of Galaxy Distances. IV. SBF Magnitudes, Colors, and Distances
• A geometric distance measurement to the Galactic Center black hole with 0.3% uncertainty
• The ACS Virgo Cluster Survey. XIII. SBF Distance Catalog and the Three-Dimensional Structure of the Virgo Cluster
• The ACS Fornax Cluster Survey. V. Measurement and Recalibration of Surface Brightness Fluctuations and a Precise Value of the Fornax--Virgo Relative Distance
• A 4% Geometric Distance to the Galaxy NGC4258 from Orbital Motions in a Nuclear Gas Disk
• The Hubble Constant
• The SBF Survey of Galaxy Distances. II. Local and Large-Scale Flows
• A new Cepheid distance to the maser-host galaxy NGC 4258 and its implications for the Hubble Constant
• The HST Key Project on the Extragalactic Distance Scale XXVI. The Calibration of Population II Secondary Distance Indicators and the Value of the Hubble Constant
• The 3-D structure of the Virgo cluster from H band Fundamental Plane and Tully-Fisher distance determinations
• Clustering of Local Group distances: publication bias or correlated measurements? I. The Large Magellanic Cloud
• The SBF Survey of Galaxy Distances. I. Sample Selection, Photometric Calibration, and the Hubble Constant
• The ACS Fornax Cluster Survey. VIII. The Luminosity Function of Globular Clusters in Virgo and Fornax Early-Type Galaxies and its Use as a Distance Indicator
• Clustering of Local Group distances: publication bias or correlated measurements? III. The Small Magellanic Cloud
• A re-classification of Cepheids in the Gaia Data Release 2
• The Extragalactic Distance Scale
• A Problem with the Clustering of Recent Measures of the Distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud
• The Inner Halo of M87: A First Direct View of the Red-Giant Population
• Substructure in Clusters and Central Galaxy Peculiar Velocities
• The Metallicity Distribution of Intracluster Stars in Virgo
• The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS). XVIII. Measurement and Calibration of Surface Brightness Fluctuation Distances for Bright Galaxies in Virgo (and Beyond)
• Distances, Metallicities, and Ages of Dwarf Elliptical Galaxies in the Virgo Cluster from Surface Brightness Fluctuations
• Intracluster Planetary Nebulae in the Virgo Cluster I. Initial Results
• The Planetary Nebula Luminosity Function of M87 and the Intracluster Stars of Virgo
• The Cepheid period -- luminosity -- metallicity relation based on Gaia DR2 data
• The planetary nebula population in the halo of M87
• The Virgo cluster distance from 21 cm-line widths
• Clustering of Local Group distances: publication bias or correlated measurements? II. M31 and beyond
• The Extragalactic Distance Scale Key Project XVIII. The Discovery of Cepheids and a New Distance to NGC 4535 Using the Hubble Space Telescope
• Clustering of Local Group distances: publication bias or correlated measurements? IV. The Galactic Center
• Planck intermediate results. XL. The Sunyaev-Zeldovich signal from the Virgo cluster
• The halo of M49 and its environment as traced by planetary nebulae
• Clustering of Local Group distances: publication bias or correlated measurements? V. Galactic rotation constants
• Non-Gaussian Error Distributions of LMC Distance Moduli Measurements

Cited by in corpus (5)

• A Chandra Virgo cluster survey of spiral galaxies. I. Introduction to the survey and a new ULX sample
• Clustering of Local Group distances: publication bias or correlated measurements? VII. A distance framework out to 100 Mpc
• Median Statistics Estimate of the Distance to M87
• The Fornax3D project: Planetary nebulae catalogue and independent distance measurements to Fornax cluster galaxies
• Distance to M87 as the Mode of the Modulus Distribution