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Description
In this second paper of the catalogue series of galaxies behind the southern Milky Way, we report on the deep optical galaxy search in the Crux region (289{deg}<~l<~318{deg} and -10{deg}<~b<~10{deg}) and the Great Attractor region (316{deg}<~l<~338{deg} and -10{deg}<~b<~10{deg}). The galaxy catalogues are presented, a brief description of the galaxy search given, as well as a discussion on the distribution and characteristics of the uncovered galaxies. A total of 8183 galaxies with major diameters D>~0.2 arcmin were identified in this ~850 square degree area: 3759 galaxies in the Crux region and 4423 galaxies in the Great Attractor region. Of the 8183 galaxies, 229 (2.8%) were catalogued before in the optical (3 in radio) and 251 galaxies have a reliable (159), or likely (92) cross-identification in the IRAS Point Source Catalogue (3.1%). A number of prominent overdensities and filaments of galaxies are identified. They are not correlated with the Galactic foreground extinction and hence indicative of extragalactic large-scale structures. Redshifts obtained at the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) for 518 of the newly catalogued galaxies in the Crux and Great Attractor regions (Fairall et al., 1998, Cat. <J/A+AS/127/463>; Woudt et al., 1999, Cat. <J/A+A/352/39>) confirm distinct voids and clusters in the area here surveyed. With this optical galaxy search, we have reduced the width of the optical `Zone of Avoidance' for galaxies with extinction-corrected diameters larger than 1.3' from extinction levels A_B>~1.0mag to A_B>~3.0mag: the remaining optical Zone of Avoidance is now limited by |b|<~3{deg} (see Fig. 16).
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