Compact Symmetric Object 1946+708

This image shows the Compact Symmetric Object 1946+708 (TXS 1946+708), taken with the VLBA in March, 1995. Compact Symmetric Sources (CSOs) are small sources with lobe emission on both sides of an active core. They are very similar to classical extended radio sources but have a much smaller linear size, less than 1 kiloparsec. The study of these objects is particularly interesting because the CSO properties are related to the young source ages, 10,000 to 100,000 years. Unifying evolutionary models have been proposed whereby CSOs evolve into CSS (Compact Steep Spectrum) sources and then into Fanaroff-Riley type II galaxies or possibly Fanaroff-Riley type I radio galaxies.

The structure and orientation of this object was studied by Taylor and Vermeulen (1997), in which the proper motions of the jet components (N2 & S2) were determined. The resulting range of angles of inclination to the line of sight is 65 to 80 degrees, where the northern side of 1946+708 (labeled NHS, for Northern Hot Spot) is the approaching jet.

Legacy Astronomical Images

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Legacy Astronomical Image

TXS 1946+708

Alison Peck and Greg Taylor

Alison Peck, Greg Taylor

Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA)

1995-03-22

continuum

L

20 cm

1.4 GHz

RA 19:45:53.620, Dec: 70:55:48.800 (J2000)

0.000028 x 0.000028 degrees

Active Galactic Nuclei Series

Radio Galaxies Unit