I did a bit more research on this one - please go to end of this text.

On the front cover of Halton Arp's book 'Quasars, Redshifts and Controversies' is an image of the NGC 4319 / Markarian 205 system.

Arp used the 200" at Mt Palomar, on a night of exceptional clarity, apparently, to produce a high resolution image of this system.

It has become one of the most controversial images in mainstream astronomy, because Arp claimed to be able to resolve a light bridge between NGC 4319 and Markarian 205, which is a highly redshifted quasar, z=0.07. NGC 4319 is relatively nearby with a very low redshift, z=0.006.

Conventional wisdom concluded that the apparent connection, if it existed, was a chance alignment compounded by an imaging artifact. It is interesting to note that several amateurs have produced images which do appear to show some connection between the 2 components. On the other hand the HST has produced a very nice image which, at first glance does not appear to show the bridge. However if the HST image is contrast enhanced there is indeed a faint bridge visible.

The whole topic is very controversial and has been dismissed by mainstream astronomers because it would seriously compromise the integrity of the 'big bang' theory.

I therefore decided to resolve the issue by taking a conclusive image using my 10" Newtonian!

Here it is and as you can see, despite my very best efforts I am unable to resolve any connection between the galaxy and the quasar. My image consists of 45 x 120second exposures. I had some problems with guiding near the pole, as usual, so there is some evidence of elongated stars in parts of the image.

Images D and E show solarised versions (a technique borrowed from my days in the darkroom using film and chemicals) and contrast stretched but still no bridge that I can see.

I also tried an intensity contouring filter but again no joy, so I could only conclude that Dr. Arp may have got it wrong on this occassion, though I could be wrong!

However, following possible viewing of the elusive 'bridge' in my image reported by other observers, I decided recently to do a little more processing but just using different colour palettes which do not alter the pixels but display them in a different way. I used a saw tooth palette, image G, which generates cyclic shades of gray, useful to reveal faint details and isophotes. Also, a colour palette, image F, which gives more visual information than shades of gray.

Maybe Dr. Arp has a point after all!

Inverting the image to agree with the simbad map helped a bit. See image H.

Consulting the Simbad map of the area I was struck by the close proximity of many quasars - see image J. Plotting them out in Aladin sky map allowed me to identify several actually on my image see image I. They are pretty faint, some fainter than mag 20.

I am struck by the symmetry of distribution of these quasars around ngc 4151.