Fornax A Polarization

Fornax A, radio galaxy associated with the bright elliptical galaxy NGC1316. In this hue-intensity image the brightness corresponds to the intensity of the lobes while the highly polarized structure is saturated white and regions of increasing depolarization are shaded red. This is the companion image to the Fornax A total intensity image also available in this Gallery

The depolarization structure in the Fornax A lobes is complex and illustrates at least 4 different effects. The large scale swirling structure (most of the Eastern lobe) results from internal depolarization in the lobes. The deep channels cutting across the source (especially the north of the western lobe) reflect the beam depolarization caused when the position angle changes by 90 degrees across the beam. The elliptical depolarized region near the tip of the western lobe is due to the foreground spiral galaxy NGC1310. The ant-like feature in the middle of the western lobe is due to a foreground depolarizing screen of mysterious origen. The image was generated at the VLA in 1986 using the Image Storage Unit developed at NRAO. This hardware allowed full interactive control of the separte RGB channels. Unfortunately this image is only available from a slide produced in 1985.

Legacy Astronomical Images

NRAO/AUI/NSF does not hold full copyright for this image. Contact the archivist for details.

Legacy Astronomical Image

Fornax A

Fomalont, Ekers, v Breugel, Ebneter

Very Large Array (VLA)

1985-00-00

continuum

L

20 cm

1.4 GHz

RA 3:20:40.000, Dec: -37:23:0.000 (B1950)

1.000000 x 0.666667 degrees

Contact the archivist for a high resolution tif of this image.

Active Galactic Nuclei Series

Radio Galaxies Unit