I Observations of Elliptical Galaxies. Mythology Traditionally, elliptical galaxies were seen as rather simple systems. In form, these galaxies were often assumed to be oblate spheroids, flattened by rotation. Finally, elliptical galaxies were considered to be dynamically unevolved. At one level or another, all of the above are incorrect.
Isophotal twists are common.
While in most galaxies these misalignments are modest, a few galaxies appear to rotate primarily about their minor axes. The colors of shells indicate that they are composed of stars. The dust lanes seen in E galaxies imply that the absorbing material is distributed in rings or disks. E galaxies contain modest amounts of cool and warm gas, although not as much as is found in S galaxies. Tidal Features Elliptical galaxies in rich galaxy clusters often exhibit luminosity profiles which fall below a de Vaucouleurs law at large radii.