Galaxy Orientations in the Coma Cluster

Abstract

We have examined the orientations of early-type galaxies in the Coma cluster to see whether the well-established tendency for brightest cluster galaxies to share the same major axis orientation as their host cluster also extends to the rest of the galaxy population. We find no evidence of any preferential orientations of galaxies within Coma or its surroundings. The implications of this result for theories of the formation of clusters and galaxies (particularly the first-ranked members) are discussed.

Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. 4 pages, 4 figures

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• Alignment of Brightest Cluster Galaxies with their Host Clusters
• Clues on the origin of galactic angular momentum from looking at galaxy pairs
• Alignments of Group Galaxies with Neighboring Groups
• Frequent Spin Reorientation of Galaxies due to Local Interactions
• Alignments of the Galaxies in and around the Virgo Cluster with the Local Velocity Shear
• On the Formation of cD Galaxies and their Parent Clusters
• Primordial alignment of elliptical galaxies in intermediate redshift clusters
• Orientations of very faint galaxies in the Coma cluster
• The galaxy alignment effect in Abell 1689: evolution, radial and luminosity dependence