Properties of Elliptical Galaxies. Barnes, J., E. & Ciardullo, R.
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In the last 20 years our notions about elliptical galaxies have changed radically; these galaxies are much more complex than they seemed at first. 3.1 Folklore & Mythology Traditionally, elliptical galaxies were seen as simple monolithic systems. Their overall luminosity profiles appeared to follow de Vaucouleurs' (1948) law, while their central regions fit the constant-density cores of King (1966) models. Elliptical galaxies were assumed to be oblate spheroids, flattened by rotation. The stars within them were thought to comprise a single, ancient population like the bulge and halo populations of our galaxy; gas and dust were thought to be absent. Finally, elliptical galaxies were considered to be relaxed and dynamically quiescent. At one level or another, all of the above are incorrect.

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