A Catalog of Distant Compact Groups out of DPOSS

Reinaldo Ramos de Carvalho

INPE/MCT

The combination of high density and low velocity dispersion makes compact groups an important laboratory for studying galaxy evolution, especially if we probe them as a function of the redshift. In this work we present an objectively defined catalog of 459 small, high density, groups of galaxies out to [EQUATION] in a region of [EQUATION] square degrees in the northern sky using DPOSS, with a small extension to the south. Our catalog reaches down to r = 19.0 and is expected to have a median redshift of0.12, being complementary to the Hickson's catalog for the nearby universe (z[EQUATION] = 0.03). Considering its depth and angular coverage, this catalog will be valuable for studies of the general characteristics of small groups of galaxies and how galaxies evolve in and around them.