A study of the two-dimensional luminosity distribution of NGC 3379

The two-dimensional luminosity distribution of the standard elliptical galaxy NGC 3379 is mapped by numerically fitting ellipses to the isophotes and a set of two-dimensional models of this distribution are constructed. The radial dependence of large-scale features such as ellipticity and position angle are derived and compared with previously published results. The amount of small-scale structure that could be due to the presence of dust in the galaxy is quantitatively determined, and the small-amplitude, wavelike radial deviations of the luminosity from a smooth R to the 1/4th law of de Vaucouleurs (1948) is studied. The possible origins of the wavelike luminosity variations are briefly discussed. Although a tidal origin cannot be ruled out, the variations could be a signature of the equilibrium configurations of an elliptical galaxy.