The Arp Controversy

Over twenty years ago Halton Arp suggested that not all quasars may lie 
at cosmolgical distances. On his observational evidence of many galactic
fields of view he suggested that quasars may be features ejected from 
nearby galaxies. Their large redshifts being accounted for by their speed 
of ejection from the host galaxy.

He cited many examples of quasars lying in proximity to bright galaxies 
in the order of a few arc minutes distance, but displaying widely different
line of sight velocities (redshifts).

NGC 4319 and its association with Mrk 205 remains the prime example. 
These two systems are just 40 arc seconds apart but have recessional 
velocities of 1,700 and 20,000 Km/sec. Deep exposures of these objects
reveal a "luminous bridge" between galaxy and quasar, adding more credence
to Arp's view.

This false colour image reveals this mysterious feature. It is a sum of 
4x80 sec exposures with 50 cm f/4 and SX CCD. 

However, Arp's opponents believe this is not so, since a third galaxy 
interacting with Mrk 205 has been found and thus this feature is simply 
a tidal tail between these two remoter objects. Are we looking at just 
another chance alignment, or are these systems physically linked?