  Cepheids have been observed in NGC 5236 (M 83) using the ANTU (UT1) 8.2 meter
telescope of the ESO VLT with FORS1. Observations over 34 epochs in V and I
have been made between January 2000 and July 2001. Twelve Cepheid candidates
have periods between 12 and 55 days. The true distance modulus is adopted to be
(m-M)_0 = 28.25 +/- 0.15, which corresponds to a distance of 4.5 +/- 0.3 Mpc.
The distance of NGC 5253 has been rediscussed. The mean distance of (m-M)_0 =
28.01 +/- 0.15 (based on SN 1972E) shows the galaxy to be a close neighbor of M
83 (separation = 0.5 +/- 0.4 Mpc), suggesting that the two galaxies may have
interacted in the past and thus possibly explaining the amorphous morphology of
NGC 5253.
  M 83 is the principal member of the nearby M 83 group containing also,
besides NGC 5253, several dwarf members, for five of which TRGB distances are
available (Karachentsev et al. 2002a, A&A, 385, 21). The adopted group distance
of (m-M)_0 = 28.28 +/- 0.10 (4.5 +/- 0.2 Mpc) together with its mean recession
velocity of v_LG = 249 +/- 42 km/s shows again the extreme quietness of the
local (1 Mpc to 10 Mpc) expansion field. M 83 fits onto the local mean Hubble
flow line of the velocity-distance relation (with H_0 ~ 60) with no significant
deviation, supporting the earlier conclusion that the local velocity expansion
field is remarkably cold on a scale of 10 Mpc, contrary to the predictions of
the simplest cold dark matter model for large scale structure. The role of a
cosmological constant has been invoked as a possible solution in providing a
nearly uniform force field everywhere in the presence of a lumpy galaxy
distribution. (abridged)
