Title:

                The Cepheid distance to M96 and the Hubble constant
 Authors:

                Tanvir, N. R.; Ferguson, H. C.; Shanks, T.
 Affiliation:

                AA(Department of Physical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane, Hatfield, Herts AL10 9AB),
                AB(Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA), AC(Department of
                Physics, University of Durham, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE)
 Journal:

                Monthly Notices, Volume 310, Issue 1, pp. 175-188. (MNRAS Homepage)
 Publication Date:

                11/1999
 Origin:

                MNRAS
 MNRAS Keywords:

                SUPERNOVAE: INDIVIDUAL: SN 1998BU, GALAXIES: GENERAL, GALAXIES: INDIVIDUAL: M96,
                MAGELLANIC CLOUDS, DISTANCE SCALE
 Abstract Copyright:

                (c) 1999 The Royal Astronomical Society
 Bibliographic Code:

                1999MNRAS.310..175T


                                         Abstract

HST WFPC2 observations of Cepheids in M96 (NGC 3368) are used to find a distance to that galaxy of 11.2+/-1.0Mpc. This estimate is
based on a calibration of the Cepheid period-luminosity relation in the Large Magellanic Cloud, and includes a correction for the difference in
metallicity between the two systems. There are good reasons for believing M96 is at the same distance as four E/S0 galaxies in the Leo-I
group, and hence we calibrate secondary distance indicators based on the early-type galaxies, namely the fundamental plane and
surface-brightness-fluctuation method. Also the Type Ia supernova 1998bu occurred in M96 itself and is used to calibrate the SN Ia
distance scale. These methods reach to recession velocities of greater than 5000kms-1 and can therefore allow us to evaluate the Hubble
constant without reference to the peculiar velocity of M96 itself. In fact, these indicators agree well between themselves and hence we find
H0=67+/-7kms-1Mpc-1 where the quoted error includes estimates of potential systematic effects.