A preliminary scheme for grouping peculiar galaxies was given in [4, 5]. Independently, Arp and Madore [6] give 24 natural groups listed in Table A. Karachentsev [59], on the other hand, suggests a much more modest morphological classification for non-equilibrium systems as outlined in Table B. Because of the very nature of peculiar galaxies none of these systems has found wide application.
Ring galaxies, as a subset of peculiar and interacting galaxies, are widely recognized [27], sub-divided and internally classified as in [185], as explained in Table C; or as outlined in [43] and Table D; while [41] presents a report on classifying ring galaxies according to the morphology of their nuclear component alone. ``Ringed'' galaxies, on the other hand, are discussed in detail in [19]; shells and rings around galaxies are reviewed in [8]; warped disks and inclined rings are the topics in [22].
| Code | General description | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Galaxies with interacting (smaller) companion(s) | 5.5 |
| 2 | Interacting doubles (galaxies of comparable size) | 12.6 |
| 3 | Interacting triples | 2.0 |
| 4 | Interacting quartets | 0.5 |
| 5 | Interacting quintets | 0.1 |
| 6 | Ring galaxies (or morphologically similar objects) | 3.1 |
| 7 | Galaxies with jets | 2.4 |
| 8 | Galaxies with an apparent (smaller) companion(s) | 11.5 |
| 9 | M51 types (companion at end of spiral arm) | 2.0 |
| 10 | Galaxies with peculiar spiral arm(s) | 4.1 |
| 11 | Three-armed and multiple-armed spiral galaxies | 0.5 |
| 12 | Peculiar disks (major asymmetry or deformation) | 2.8 |
| 13 | Compact (very high-surface-brightness) galaxies | 6.4 |
| 14 | Galaxy with prominent or unusual dust absorption | 1.6 |
| 15 | Galaxy with tails, loops of material or debris | 3.5 |
| 16 | Irregular or disturbed (apparently isolated) galaxies | 4.2 |
| 17 | Chain of galaxies (four or more galaxies aligned) | 4.0 |
| 18 | Group of galaxies (four or more galaxies not aligned) | 4.9 |
| 19 | Cluster of galaxies (only very conspicuous, rich clusters) | 1.6 |
| 20 | Dwarf galaxy (low surface brightness) | 6.8 |
| 21 | Stellar object with associated nebulosity | 0.7 |
| 22 | Miscellaneous (very rare or distinctive objects) | 1.4 |
| 23 | Close pairs (not visibly interacting) | 11.4 |
| 24 | Close triples (not visibly interacting) | 5.6 |
| Type | Explanation |
|---|---|
| LIN | Galaxies exhibiting strong interaction in the form of
- bridges = LIN(br) - tails = LIN(ta) - bridges and tails = LIN(br+ta) |
| ATM | Systems with two or more components in a common halo. |
| DIS (n) | Systems with signs of distortion in (n) individual components. |
| Ring type | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| RE | Crisp, elliptical ring with photographically empty interior | Arp 146, Arp 147, VII ZW 466 |
| RN | Elliptical ring with an off-center nucleus | II Hz 4, Lindsay-Shapley Ring |
| RK | Ring with a single, very prominent knot the ring; large-scale brightness distribution is markedly asymmetrical | I ZW 45, II ZW 028 |
| Ring type | Description |
|---|---|
| O-type | smooth structure and centrally located nucleus |
| P-type | crisp, knotty structure and often displaced nucleus |