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The giant elliptical galaxy ESO 325-4. An elliptical galaxy is a type of galaxy with an approximately ellipsoidal shape and a smooth, nearly featureless image. They are one of the three main classes of galaxy described by Edwin Hubble in his Hubble sequence and 1936 work The Realm of the Nebulae, [1] along with spiral and lenticular galaxies.
Galaxy morphological classification is a system used by astronomers to divide galaxies into groups based on their visual appearance. There are several schemes in use by which galaxies can be classified according to their morphologies, the most famous being the Hubble sequence , devised by Edwin Hubble and later expanded by Gérard de ...
At the centre of the Hubble tuning fork, where the two spiral-galaxy branches and the elliptical branch join, lies an intermediate class of galaxies known as lenticulars and given the symbol S0. These galaxies consist of a bright central bulge , similar in appearance to an elliptical galaxy , surrounded by an extended, disk -like structure.
The type-cD galaxy [1] (also cD-type galaxy, [2] cD galaxy [3]) is a galaxy morphology classification, a subtype of type-D giant elliptical galaxy. Characterized by a large halo of stars, [4] they can be found near the centres of some rich galaxy clusters. [5] They are also known as supergiant ellipticals [6] or central dominant galaxies. [7]
M87's elliptical shape is maintained by the random orbital motions of its constituent stars, in contrast to the more orderly rotational motions found in a spiral galaxy such as the Milky Way. [67] Using the Very Large Telescope to study the motions of about 300 planetary nebulae, astronomers have determined that M87 absorbed a medium-sized star ...
This is an elliptical galaxy of type E 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 (E1.5), although some sources class it as S0 – a lenticular galaxy. An E2 class indicates a flattening of 20%, which has a nearly round appearance. The isophotes of the galaxy are boxy in shape, rather than simple ellipses.
ESO 383-76 is a supergiant elliptical galaxy (type-cD galaxy) of an advanced Hubble morphology (E5, with E0 being spherical and E7 being flattened), with its major axis being more than twice the length of its minor axis. The galaxy is a very luminous source of X-rays, and is the sixth-brightest X-ray source in the sky. [3]
ESO 146-5 (ESO 146-IG 005) is the designation given to a giant interacting elliptical galaxy in the center of the Abell 3827 cluster. It is well noted due to its strong gravitational lensing effect, measurements of which show the galaxy to be one of the most massive in the known universe.