We examine the structure and dynamics of the galaxies in the Coma cluster using a catalog of 552 redshifts including 243 new measurements. The velocity distribution is shown to be non-Gaussian due to structure associated with the group of galaxies around NGC4839, 40 arcmin SW of the cluster core. We apply a mixture-modelling algorithm to the galaxy sample and obtain a robust partition into two subclusters which we use to examine the system's dynamics. We find that the late-type galaxies are freely-falling into a largely virialised cluster core dominated by early types. We obtain a virial mass for the main cluster in close agreement with the estimates derived from recent X-ray data. The mass of the NGC4839 group is about 5-10% the mass of the main cluster. Assuming the main cluster and the NGC4839 group follow a linear two-body orbit, the favored solution has the two clusters lying at 74 degrees to the line of sight at a true separation of 0.8 Mpc and moving together at 1700 km/s. The cluster core shows evidence of an ongoing merger between two subclusters centered in projection on the dominant galaxies NGC4874 and NGC4889 but offset in velocity by 300 km/s and 1100 km/s respectively. Combining these results with X-ray and radio observations, and an interpretation of the presence or lack of an extended halo around the dominant galaxies, we develop a merger history for the Coma cluster.Comment: To appear in Ap.J., 43 pages, Postscript of text only, see http://msowww.anu.edu.au/~colless/Preprints/coma.html for text, tables and figure

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Using Peebles' least action principle, we determine trajectories for the galaxies in the Local Group and the more massive galaxies in the Local Neighbourhood. We deduce the resulting angular momentum for the whole of the Local Group and study the tidal force acting on the Local Group and its galaxies. Although Andromeda and the Milky Way dominate the tidal force acting on each other during the present epoch, we show that there is a transition time at z ≈ 1 before which the tidal force is dominated by galaxies outside the Local Group in each case. This shows that the Local Group can not be considered as an isolated system as far as the tidal forces are concerned. We integrate the tidal torques acting on the Milky Way and Andromeda and derive their spin angular momenta, obtaining results which are comparable with observation. 2