Broad- and narrow-band imaging of the giant radio galaxy Cygnus A

Journal Article · Tue Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1989 · Astronomical Journal; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/115155· OSTI ID:5402235

Carilli, C L; Dreher, J W; Conner, S; Perley, R A ^[1]

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1. National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Socorro, NM (USA)

Optical broadband and narrowband images of Cygnus A have been compared to VLA radio images of the source. The zero-redshift H-alpha image reveals the distribution of ionized Galactic material toward the radio source. The low emission values noted imply that the large amounts of Faraday rotation observed toward the radio lobes of the galaxy must be of extragalactic origin. It is shown that the radio-core source is located between two optical broadband peaks in the galaxy nucleus, and that the radial-surface brightness profiles follows a de Vaucouleurs r exp 1/4 law out to at least 31 kpc. It is suggested that the double optical nucleus observed is not caused by a kiloparsec-scale dust lane, but by polar radiation from a core source that is obscured by a disk. 36 refs.

• OSTI ID: 5402235
• Journal Information: Astronomical Journal; (USA), Journal Name: Astronomical Journal; (USA) Vol. 98; ISSN 0004-6256; ISSN ANJOA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640105* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Galaxies
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
FLUIDS
GALAXIES
GALAXY NUCLEI
GASES
IMAGES
IONIZED GASES
MAPS
MORPHOLOGY
ORIGIN
RADIATIONS
RADIO GALAXIES
RADIOWAVE RADIATION
VISIBLE RADIATION