X-ray cooling flows in isolated elliptical galaxies

X-ray observations of three isolated elliptical galaxies are presented. Much of their X-ray luminosity is probably due to gas for which the cooling time is far less than a Hubble time. Wind models for the X-ray emission require excessive mass loss. A cooling flow is considered and found to give reasonable agreement with the stellar mass loss integrated over the galaxy. About $$1M_\odot$$ yr⁻¹ is being cycled through such a flow in NGC 1395. Cooling flows in elliptical galaxies, and possibly also the bulges of spiral galaxies, may cause the formation of H I excretion discs, continue the formation of the galaxy at small radii and help to power galactic nuclei.