HCG 16: A High Concentration of Active Galaxies in the Nearby Universe

Abstract

In the course of an extensive campaign to measure radial velocities of galaxies in a selected sample of compact groups photometrically studied by de Carvalho et al. (1994), we report the discovery of a system very rich in starburst galaxies and AGNs. This is the system HCG 16 of Hickson's (1982) catalog of CGs. The 7 brightest galaxies form a kinematical group. From their spectral characteristics, we have identified one Seyfert 2 galaxy, two LINERs and three starburst galaxies. Thus, HCG 16 appears to be a dense concentration of active galaxies. In our sample of 17 Hickson groups, HCG 16 is unique in this regard, suggesting that it is an uncommon structure in the nearby universe.