THE PUPPIS CLUSTER OF GALAXIES BEHING THE GALACTIC PLANE AND THE ORIGIN OF THE LOCAL ANOMALY

Recent surveys of galaxies behind the Galactic plane have revealed the Puppis cluster, centred at l approximately 240-degrees, b approximate ly 0-degrees and redshift cz approximately 1000-2000 km s-1. We supple ment the recent 2-Jy IRAS redshift survey of Strauss et al. for absolu te value of b > 5-degrees with an IRAS-selected sample in the directio n of Puppis (absolute value of b < 5-degrees; 230-degrees < l < 260-de grees), which consists of 32 identified galaxies, 12 of them with meas ured redshift. Using this combined sample, we examine the overdensity of Puppis and its dynamical effect on the motion of the Local Group. W e find that the projected number count of galaxies brighter than 2 Jy in Puppis is about half that of Virgo. We also compare Puppis with the rest of the sky by a spherical harmonic reconstruction; out to a dist ance of 3000 km s-1 Puppis is second only to Virgo. We estimate that P uppis (which lies below the Supergalactic plane) may contribute at lea st 30 km s-1 to the motion of the Local Group perpendicular to the Sup ergalactic plane (V(SGZ) = -370 km s-1 in the cosmic microwave backgro und frame). Together with the Local Void (above the Supergalactic plan e) and Fornax and Eridanus (below it), this may explain the origin of the so-called 'Local Anomaly'. The analysis presented here illustrates how to combine non-uniform surveys behind the Galactic plane to produ ce whole-sky uniform surveys.