Letter to the Editor

SDSS J211852.96−073227.5: The first non-local, interacting, late-type intermediate Seyfert galaxy with relativistic jets^⋆

¹ European Space Agency, European Space Astronomy Centre, C/ Bajo el Castillo s/n, 28692 Villanueva de la Cañada, Madrid, Spain
e-mail: ejarvela@sciops.esa.int
² Finnish Centre for Astronomy with ESO (FINCA), University of Turku, Vesilinnantie 5, 20014 University of Turku, Finland
³ Aalto University Metsähovi Radio Observatory, Metsähovintie 114, 02540 Kylmälä, Finland
⁴ Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia “G. Galilei”, Università di Padova, Vicolo dell’Osservatorio 3, 35122 Padova, Italy
⁵ Las Campanas Observatory – Carnegie Institution for Science, Colina el Pino, Casilla 601, La Serena, Chile
⁶ Aalto University Department of Electronics and Nanoengineering, PO Box 15500, 00076 Aalto, Finland

Received: 26 February 2020
Accepted: 15 April 2020

Abstract

It has been often suggested that a tangible relation exists between relativistic jets in active galactic nuclei (AGN) and the morphology of their host galaxies. In particular, relativistic jets may commonly be related to merging events. Here we present for the first time a detailed spectroscopic and morphological analysis of a Seyfert galaxy, SDSS J211852.96−073227.5, at z = 0.26. This source has previously been classified as a gamma-ray emitting narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy. We re-observed it with the 6.5 m Clay Telescope and these new, high-quality spectroscopic data have revealed that it is actually an intermediate-type Seyfert galaxy. Furthermore, the results of modelling the Ks-band near-infrared images obtained with the 6.5 m Baade Telescope indicate that the AGN is hosted by a late-type galaxy in an interacting system, strengthening the suggested connection between galaxy interactions and relativistic jets.