The Low-luminosity Galaxy Population in the NGC 5044 Group

Abstract

Detailed surface photometry for 79 (mostly dwarf) galaxies in the NGC 5044 Group area is analysed, revealing the existence of different morphologies among objects originally classified as early-type dwarfs. Particularly, a significant fraction of bright dwarf “ellipticals” show a distinct bulge+disc structure; we thus re-classify these objects as dwarf lenticulars (dS0). Our finding points at a possible scenario where these systems are the remnants of “harassed” disc galaxies. This is emphasized by the discovery of a few objects with hints for very low-surface brightness spiral-like structure. The colours, structure, and spatial distribution of the different galaxy types suggest that our classification may indeed be separating objects with different origins and/or evolutionary paths.