On the nature of cD galaxies

Some physical characteristics of cD galaxies are examined in the context of their formation during Ambartsumyan events. In this paper, cD galaxies are considered as generators of the clusters in which they occur. The segregation of clusters in terms of their morphological classes and the well known Faber-Jackson relation are discussed as arguments for this concept. This concept provides a rather natural explanation for the observed features of cD galaxies and the associated clusters. __________ Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 51, No. 2, pp. 173–188 (May 2008).