The Status of the Hubble Diagram In 1986

We present visual and near-infrared Hubble diagrams for first- ranked cluster galaxies, and moderate-flux and high-flux radio galaxies. The photometric improvements and the extension of the diagrams to large redshifts (up to z ≃ 1.8) for both 3CR and "1 Jy" class radio galaxies are highlighted. The absolute luminosities of these three types of "standard candles", where their redshifts overlap, agree adequately. The near-IR (2μm) Hubble diagrams may be used to determine the global deceleration parameter, q_O, and the current data favor q_O ~ +0.2 to +0.3. The sensitivity to evolutionary changes in the giant galaxies is quite modest at these long wavelengths. On the other hand, the visual regime (BV R) shows a dramatic dependence on differential evolution effects, which dominate over the cosmological model differences. Most radio galaxies apparently have had active star formation, with a continually declining rate, but a few are quite faint and red; they may have had a relatively passive evolution.