2MRS: Nearby Galaxy Redshift Catalog with 44,599 Entries

A ten-year project mapping the 3D distribution of galaxies in the nearby universe. The catalog contains 44,599 galaxies selected from the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) and is 97.6% complete to defined limits, covering 91% of the sky. It was produced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, with the final 2MASS data products released in 2003.

Use Cases

• Study the bulk motion of the Local Group based on galaxy redshift data.
• Map density and peculiar velocity fields out to 50 h⁻¹ Mpc based on the redshift catalog.
• Detect galaxy groups based on spatial and redshift proximity.
• Estimate cosmological parameters based on the distribution of baryonic mass concentrations.
• Analyze galaxy morphological types for a sub-sample of 20,860 bright galaxies.

Strengths

• High completeness of 97.6% to well-defined limits.
• Broad sky coverage of 91%.
• Catalog of 44,599 galaxies with near-infrared photometry, which is sensitive to dominant stellar mass.
• Includes morphological types for a sub-sample of 20,860 galaxies.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Spectroscopic observations for 11,000 galaxies combined with previously obtained velocities, based on source selection from the 2MASS Extended Source Catalog.

Time Range

Project conducted over ten years; underlying 2MASS survey completed in 2003.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 16:39:37.191810; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Covers 91% of the sky, with limits at galactic latitude |b| >= 5 degrees (>= 8 degrees toward the Galactic bulge).