Spectroscopy of the neighboring massive clusters Abell 222 and Abell 223^*

¹ Institut für Astrophysik und Extraterrestrische Forschung, Universität Bonn, Auf dem Hügel 71, 53121, Bonn, Germany
² Observatoire Midi–Pyrénées, UMR5572, 14 Av. Édouard Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France

Corresponding author: J. P. Dietrich, dietrich@astro.uni-bonn.de

Received: 29 May 2002
Accepted: 9 August 2002

Abstract

We present a spectroscopic catalog of the neighboring massive clusters Abell 222 and Abell 223. The catalog contains the positions, redshifts, R magnitudes, color, as well as the equivalent widths for a number of lines for 183 galaxies, 153 of them belonging to the A 222 and A 223 system. We determine the heliocentric redshifts to be for A 222 and for A 223. The velocity dispersions of both clusters in the cluster restframe are about the same: km s^-1 and km s^-1 for A 222 and A 223, respectively. While we find evidence for substructure in the spatial distribution of A 223, no kinematic substructure can be detected. From the red cluster sequence identified in a color–magnitude–diagram we determine the luminosity of both clusters and derive mass–to–light ratios in the R–band of and . Additionally we identify a group of background galaxies at .