Abstract
We summarize our present knowledge on low-mass high-surface brightness elliptical objects near massive galaxies that are often called M32-type or compact elliptical galaxies. The origin of the low mass of these objects is a controversial matter: is it intrinsic to their formation or produced, as classically believed, by tidal stripping from the massive neighbor? We present new observational data allowing to define better the characteristics of these objects and a simple theoretical model whose consequences support the idea that the precursors of compact ellipticals are related to the low-mass end of the luminosity function of elliptical galaxies.
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