Image:

This is a prototypical head-tail galaxy. The active nucleus is near the north-east tip of the structure. High-resolution observations by Hardee, Eilek & Owen (1980) show that the initial ejection axis is projected parallel to the tail. The brighter tail is the extension of the south-west jet. To the north-east, there is a stubby lobe which could be interpreted as a "stalled" jet. Faint emission to the north-west of the head may be the tail associated with the north-east "jet". This seems to cross over the bright jet to form the southern faint tail. Our image, from archival VLA data, shows that the main jet extends considerably further to the west than previously seen.

Simkin & Ekers (1979) discovered a massive H II region at the edge of the NE lobe. This may be an example of jet-induced star formation.

There are some artefacts in our image in the form of short-wavelength ripples running SE-NW (most easily visible in the full-size image; click on the image on this page to display). There are several compact background sources seen projected through the tail.