CCD observations of Abell clusters. V - Isophotometry of 175 brightest elliptical galaxies in Abell clusters

Journal Article · Wed May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1991 · Astronomical Journal; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/115788· OSTI ID:5393115

Porter, A C; Schneider, D P; Hoessel, J G ^[1]

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1. Palomar Observatory, Pasadena, CA (USA) National Optical Astronomy Observatories, Tucson, AZ (USA) Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ (USA) Washburn Observatory, Madison, WI (USA)

Profiles of major- and minor-axis surface brightness, ellipticity, position angle, and isophote centroid are presently derived from isophotometry for a sample of 175 brightest cluster ellipticals (BCEs). The BCEs' average ellipticity is a sharply rising function of metric radius; less than a fourth of the sample exhibits significant ellipticity decrease with increasing radius. While at radii of less than 16 kpc the BCEs are rounder than the average elliptical, they become too flattened at radii greater than 30 kpc to represent a randomly-oriented oblate-spheroid population. These results indicate that BCE outer regions are dynamically strongly coupled to their either prolate or stringy clusters. 136 refs.

• OSTI ID: 5393115
• Journal Information: Astronomical Journal; (United States), Journal Name: Astronomical Journal; (United States) Vol. 101; ISSN 0004-6256; ISSN ANJOA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640105* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Galaxies
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BRIGHTNESS
CHARGE-COUPLED DEVICES
CONFIGURATION
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
ELLIPTICAL CONFIGURATION
GALAXIES
GALAXY CLUSTERS
MORPHOLOGY
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PHOTOMETRY
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
RADIO GALAXIES
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES