Bibcode
Capaccioli, Massimo; Caon, Nicola; D'Onofrio, Mauro
Bibliographical reference
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (ISSN 0035-8711), vol. 259, no. 2, p. 323-327.
Advertised on:
11
1992
Citations
129
Refereed citations
118
Description
On the basis of a sample of Virgo cluster galaxies in a larger set of
heterogeneous literature data, it is shown that ellipticals, early-type
dwarfs, and bulges of S0s and of spirals form two distinct families in
the plane of the effective parameters, R(e) and mu(e). The 'ordinary'
family is composed of all galaxies fainter than MB of about -19.3. Their
effective parameters range over a wide interval for the same total
luminosity: R(e) varies by at least 0.7 dex and mu(e) by 3.5 mag. The
'bright' family is composed of the brightest cluster members and the
host galaxies of QSOs. Their effective radii extend up to about 300 kpc,
and are directly related to the effective surface brightness: mu(e) of
about 3 log R(e)+constant. It is suggested that the objects belonging to
this family have undergone merging phenomena.