HST FOC/COSTAR observations of NGC 1068

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Session 59 -- Low Luminosity AGNs and Active Galaxies
Display presentation, Thursday, 2, 1994, 9:20-6:30

[59.07] HST FOC/COSTAR observations of NGC 1068

F.D. Macchetto, A. Capetti, W.B. Sparks, (STScI), A. Boksenberg (Royal Greenwich Obs.)

We present FOC/COSTAR observations of the Seyfert 2 galaxies NGC 1068. Images of the ultraviolet (filter F253M) and optical continuum (F372M) and of the oxygen lines [O III]$\lambda\lambda4959,5007$ (F501N) were taken. We achieved a dynamic range of 2500:1 and a resolution of 0".02 - 0".04.

The emission line region outlines a biconical structure; its Southern portion is much weaker but clearly defined. The peak of emission in all images is fully resolved; it shows an arc-like structure extended for $\sim$ 0".2. A disk like feature is seen South of the emission peak. Its major axis is aligned with the radio jet. Many bright filamentary structures can be identified; some of them are emission-line filaments, while others are dominated by stellar continuum emission. In addition dark filaments run through the emission line region and the nuclear region of the galaxy tracing the dust distribution.

The optical-UV color discriminates between the different emission mechanisms in different portion of the galaxy. Within the biconical region the reflected nuclear light dominates; the peak of emission corresponds to a even bluer color. Outside this region the stellar component is predominant.

Line and continuum images are very similar; the two emissions are closely associated. However the correspondence on the very small scale is more complex: while in the outer portions they are well correlated, in the inner regions they are anti-correlated.

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