GR 8 (also known as UGC 8091) is a gas-rich
dwarf irregular galaxy.
In 1995, Tolstoy et al. estimated its distance (with the
Hipparcos
''Hipparcos'' was a scientific satellite of the European Space Agency (ESA), launched in 1989 and operated until 1993. It was the first space experiment devoted to precision astrometry, the accurate measurement of the positions and distances of ...
correction of 1997 applied) to be approximately from Earth. It is around 2.8
Mly from
UGC 9128.
It is still an open question whether it is a member of the
Local Group
The Local Group is the galaxy group that includes the Milky Way, where Earth is located. It has a total diameter of roughly , and a total mass of the order of .
It consists of two collections of galaxies in a " dumbbell" shape; the Milky Way ...
or possibly the
Virgo Cluster
The Virgo Cluster is a cluster of galaxies whose center is 53.8 ± 0.3 Mly (16.5 ± 0.1 Mpc) away in the Virgo constellation. Comprising approximately 1,300 (and possibly up to 2,000) member galaxies, the cluster forms the heart of the larger ...
.
GR 8 was discovered at the
Lick Observatory
The Lick Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by the University of California. It is on the summit of Mount Hamilton (California), Mount Hamilton, in the Diablo Range just east of San Jose, California, United States. The ...
using the 20-inch
astrograph
An astrograph (or astrographic camera) is a telescope designed for the sole purpose of astrophotography. Astrographs are mostly used in wide-field astronomical surveys of the sky and for detection of objects such as asteroids, meteors, an ...
in either 1946, 1947, or 1951.
References
External links
Irregular Galaxy GR 8: Footprint Galaxy{{Virgo
Dwarf irregular galaxies
Virgo (constellation)
08091
44491