AN ARGUMENT AGAINST A LONG EXTRAGALACTIC DISTANCE SCALE

The gaseous disks of type SO-Sd spiral galaxies appear to be gravitati onally stable or nearly stable. A relation is established between the parameter M-g/M-c characterizing the gravitational stability of a gase ous galactic disk and the color index (B - V)(T)(0), which reflects th e relative number of young stars; here, M-g is the total mass of gas i n the galaxy and M-c is the mass of gas if the density of the gaseous disk is equal to the critical density at all distances from the center The intensity of star formation is systematically lower in galaxies w ith very stable gaseous disks. Using the fact that the stability param eter depends on the adopted distance of the galaxy, a value for the Hu bble constant: is found for which a sample of distant galaxies best co incides with a sample of nearby galaxies with well-determined distance s on a plot of M-g/M-c vs. (B - V)(T)(0). This procedure renders an es timate for the Hubble constant H-0 = 92 +/- 12 km s(-1) Mpc(-1), consi stent with a relatively ''short'' extragalactic distance scale.