Image:
Early studies of 3C 386 were considerably confused by its apparently
zero redshift (Schmidt 1965), which,
combined with the relaxed structure led to the suggestion that this
might be an object in our Galaxy such as a supernova remnant
(Mackay 1969); it is relatively close
to the galactic plane (latitude 11°).
The mystery was solved when Lynds (1971)
showed that there is an F7 star on the line of sight to the galaxy;
the zero redshift belonged to the star.
Lynds also pointed to the
similarity between the diffuse structure of 3C 386 and other objects
such as 3C 315. These objects are now known
as relaxed doubles. 3C 386 is a typical example: its lobes contain
considerable fine structure including curved filaments near the edges
that may be parts of loops or shells.
The compact source to the west, and a fainter one just visible
to the north west, are unrelated background objects.
Page created: 2009 Apr 2 14:16:43
J. P. Leahy
jpl@jb.man.ac.uk