Previous | Session 146 | Next
J. Feldmeier (NOAO), C. Mihos, H. Morrison, P. Harding (CWRU)
Intracluster light (ICL), starlight between the galaxies of a cluster, is a sensitive probe of the mechanics of tidal stripping, the distribution of dark matter around galaxies, and cluster evolution in general. We present new results from our ongoing deep imaging survey of Abell clusters designed to quantify the amount of intracluster starlight as a function of cluster environment. We also report the results for a search for tidal features in these clusters.
In this study, we report the results for four Abell clusters of moderate richness that do not include a cD galaxy (Abell 84, 98, 545, 2443). One of these clusters (Abell 545), was originally reported by Struble (1988) to contain a "starpile", a cD envelope without the accompanying galaxy. We give surface brightness parameters for this interesting object, and speculate on its true origin.
The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: johnf@noao.edu
Previous | Session 146 | Next
Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 36 5
© 2004. The American Astronomical Society.