# The Distance and Motion of the Maffei Group

## TL;DR

This paper refines the distance and motion measurements of the Maffei Group using near-infrared data, revealing its separation from IC 342 and its peculiar velocity toward the Local Group, influenced by cosmic void expansion.

## Contribution

It provides updated distance and velocity estimates for the Maffei Group, clarifying its relation to neighboring galaxy groups and cosmic structures.

## Key findings

- Maffei 2 is approximately 5.73 Mpc away.
- The Maffei Group is 2.5 Mpc behind the IC 342 Group.
- Both groups exhibit negative peculiar velocities toward the Local Group.

## Abstract

It has recently been suggested that the nearby galaxies Maffei 1 and 2 are further in distance than previously thought, such that they no longer are members of the same galaxy group as IC 342. We reanalyze near-infrared photometry from the Hubble Space Telescope, and find a distance to Maffei 2 of $5.73\pm0.40$ Mpc. With this distance, the Maffei Group lies 2.5 Mpc behind the IC 342 Group and has a peculiar velocity toward the Local Group of $-128\pm33$ km/s. The negative peculiar velocities of both of these distinct galaxy groups are likely the manifestation of void expansion from the direction of Perseus-Pisces.