Hickson's Compact groups of Galaxies

Each group contains four or more galaxies, has an estimated mean surface brightness brighter than 26.0 magnitude per arcsec^2^ and satisfies an isolation criterion. Dynamical parameters were derived for 92 of the 100 groups, which are listed in file "dynamics.dat"; the Hubble constant was assumed to be Ho=100km/s/Mpc.

Data about individual galaxies in these groups are merged into the "galaxies.dat" file; these data include photometric parameters, morphology, redshifts and absolute magnitudes originally published in four different papers. They result from CCD observations at CFHT (Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope) in 1983-1985. Redshifts were observed at the 1.5m telescope of the F.L. Whipple Observatory on Mt.