Properties of Elliptical Galaxies with Dust Lanes

Abstract

NGC 5128 (Cen A) has been known for many years as a peculiar elliptical, but only recently has it been recognized as the prototype of a new class of object (Bertola and Galletta 1978). This class of galaxy is characterized by an elliptical–like stellar body crossed along the minor axis by a dust lane, and was comprised initially of five objects. The class was extended in a remarkable way by Hawarden et al. (1981), who drew attention also to the existence of ellipticals with the dust lane along the major, and along intermediate axes. Ninety objects are now listed as dust lane ellipticals in the compilation by Ebneter and Balick (1985) and its updated version (Ebneter 1986).