Spectral and photometric study of compact groups of compact galaxies

Results are presented from a spectral, photometric, and morphological study of two compact groups of compact galaxies (CGCG) from Shahbazian’s list. The observations were made on the 1.5-m ESO telescope and the 2.6-m telescope at the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory (BAO) during 1999–2000. These data are compared with data for the Shahbazian compact group 4. A high spatial density of galaxies, ranging from 10000 to 100000 galaxies per Mpc3, is observed in all the groups that were studied. The discovery of a Seyfert Sy1 galaxy in the Shahbazian 355 compact group is especially noteworthy. The direct photographs of the CGCGs that were studied contain no signs of merging or tidal interactions among the members of these groups. This suggests that the galaxies in these dense systems have a common origin.