What factors are important when trying to classify a elliptical galaxy?

Elliptical galaxies are shaped like a spheriod, or elongated sphere. In the sky, where we can only see two of their three dimensions, these galaxies look like elliptical, or oval, shaped disks. The light is smooth, with the surface brightness decreasing as you go farther out from the center. Elliptical galaxies are given a classification that corresponds to their elongation from a perfect circle, otherwise known as their ellipticity. The larger the number, the more elliptical the galaxy is. So, for example a galaxy of classification of E0 appears to be perfectly circular, while a classification of E7 is very flattened. The elliptical scale varies from E0 to E7. Elliptical galaxies have no particular axis of rotation.