AAS 197, January 2001 Session 30. Dwarf and Elliptical Galaxies
[Previous] | [Session 30] | [Next]  [30.02] The Origin of Dwarf
Elliptical Galaxies in Clusters  Christopher J. Conselice
(STScI/UW-Madison)  Dwarf ellipticals (dEs) in clusters are the
most common type of galaxy in the local universe; however their
origin and evolution remain a mystery. To resolve this question
we have undertaken a study of both dynamical and photometric
properties of dEs in nearby clusters. We do this by increasing
the number of measured Virgo dE radial velocities by 50% and by
acquiring high resolution deep WIYN images of dEs in the Perseus
cluster. Dynamical properties of some dEs in the Virgo cluster
are consistent with an origin from galaxies that fell into the
cluster after its initial formation. Photometry of cluster
dwarfs further shows that some of these objects have color-
magnitude scaling relations different than cluster giants. Some
cluster dEs, particularly the brightest ones, are however
consistent with an origin