Alignments of the Dominant Galaxies in Poor Clusters

1999/01/29 by Todd M. Fuller, Michael J. West, Terry J. Bridges · 5 citations
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #Space Technology and Applications #astro-ph

paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/307343

8 pages, 5 figures

arxiv created 1999/01/29 · openalex publication_date 1999/07/01 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31

Abstract

We have examined the orientations of brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) in poor MKW (Morgan, Kayser, and White) and AWM (Albert, White, and Morgan) clusters and find that, like their counterparts in richer Abell clusters, poor cluster BCGs exhibit a strong propensity to be aligned with the principal axes of their host clusters as well as the surrounding distribution of nearby (≤20 h -1 Mpc) Abell clusters. The processes responsible for dominant galaxy alignments are therefore independent of cluster richness. We argue that these alignments most likely arise from anisotropic infall of material into clusters along large-scale filaments.

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