The HI Content of the Virgo Cluster Galaxies

Because of its proximity and richness on late-type galaxies, the Virgo cluster has been the subject of numerous studies exploring the effect of the intracluster environment on galaxy evolution. First discovered nearly three decades ago by Davies & Lewis (1973), the neutral hydrogen (HI) deficiency of the Virgo galaxies is now a well-established observational phenomenon also observed on many other rich clusters. A number of studies on the neutral hydrogen 21-cm line of Virgo cluster galaxies --from the lenticular and largest spiral types through the faintest dwarf irregulars-- show that a significant number of these objects have lost a substantial fraction of their atomic hydrogen and are HI-deficient when compared with galaxies of the same optical properties in less dense environments.