nearby radio galaxies provide excellent sites for the study of the active galaxy phenomenon at low powers, including the formation of radio jets, the properties of active galactic nuclei, and the nature of the fuel source. here we propose to make multi-band ir images of a complete sample of nearby radio galaxies (z < 0.03) for which good radio-to-x-ray data are available. the images can be analyzed to remove the galactic starlight, so that an uncontaminated measure of the nuclear ir emission can be obtained. this measurement will extend the multifrequency spectral data on these galaxies, including imaging their inner radio jets (some of which should be detected through their ir synchrotron emission), at a sensitivity that cannot be attained from the ground. the data may reveal the presence of suspected central gas and dust regions that fuel the active nuclei. the results from this complement the iso extragalactic guaranteed time programme by extending the sample of radio galaxies already being observed to lower redshifts, where details of the structures can be resolved, and by providing a group of active galaxies at similar redshifts to the samples of (largely non-active) early-type galaxies that will be observed in the field and in the virgo and perseus clusters. no comparable sample of low-power radio galaxies can be constructed from the list of objects currently planned for observation with iso.
The Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) was the world's first true orbiting infrared observatory. Equipped with four highly-sophisticated and versatile scientific instruments, it was launched by Ariane in November 1995 and provided astronomers world-wide with a facility of unprecedented sensitivity and capabilities for a detailed exploration of the Universe at infrared wavelengths.
