The case of the Sérsic surface-brightness profile, approximately useful for many bright elliptical galaxies: . Real galaxies can have other Sérsic indices.
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De Vaucouleurs's law, often referred to in the context of galaxy light profiles, describes how the brightness of a galaxy varies with distance from its center. Specifically, it is an empirical relationship that characterizes the surface brightness profile of elliptical galaxies and spiral galaxies. The law states that the mean surface brightness within a given radius (R) from the center of a galaxy decreases exponentially with increasing radius in a specific manner.