Overall Morphology

A low resolution X-ray image, covering all of the radio emitting regions and with selected VLA radio contours (from PRM) overlaid, is shown in Fig. 1, while a full resolution X-ray image of the nucleus and structure to the west of the nucleus is shown in Fig. 2. The brightest X-ray source is associated with the nucleus of the galaxy. The position of this source, as measured with the Chandra aspect system, is within 2 $^{\prime\prime}$ of the radio and optical nuclear positions given by PRM. The nucleus is so bright in X-rays that it suffers from strong ``pile up'', so no useful spatial or spectroscopic information can be obtained from this exposure; a Chandra observation with a shorter frame time is scheduled to obtain a reliable nuclear spectrum. A linear feature, visible in both figures, extends 1.'9 (110 kpc) westward from the nucleus and is spatially coincident with the faint radio jet (PRM); we shall refer to this feature as the ``X-ray jet''. The X-ray jet ``points'' at the western hot spot, which is 4.'2 (240 kpc) from the nucleus. When the nuclear X-ray source is shifted slightly to coincide with the nuclear radio source, the peak of the X-ray emission from the hot spot is within 1 $^{\prime\prime}$ of its radio peak. There is also evidence for faint, diffuse X-ray emission around the nucleus and extending $\sim$ 1$^{\prime }$ from it, but more sensitive observations are needed to confirm this component.

Faint X-ray emission extends eastwards from the nucleus to the two eastern radio hot spots, 3.'1 and 3.'4 from the nucleus (Fig. 1). This faint X-ray emission is seen to brighten somewhat within $\sim$ 1$^{\prime }$ of these hot spots. There are also four compact X-ray sources within the brightest radio contour around the eastern hot spots; none of these X-ray sources coincides with either radio hot spot. Lastly, we point out a faint ($40-50$ counts above the background), compact X-ray source 323 $^{\prime\prime}$ E of the nucleus at $\alpha$ = 05$^{h}$ 20$^{m}$ 20$^{s}$.0, $\delta$ = -45$^{\circ }$ 47$^{\prime }$ 44 $^{\prime\prime}$ (J2000). This X-ray source is beyond the eastern radio lobe, but it lies in p.a. 101$^{\circ }$ from the nucleus, a direction which is precisely opposite to the direction to the western hot spot (p.a. 281$^{\circ }$). Examination of the Digital Sky Survey reveals a faint point source within $\sim$ 1 $^{\prime\prime}$ of this position, almost at the limit of the SERC-J Survey (we estimate $m_{\rm SERC-J}\approx21$), and marginally detected in the Second Epoch Southern (UK Schmidt) survey. It is unclear whether this compact X-ray source is related to Pictor A.