US-3215 - AN ACTIVE GE2 GALAXY

The object US 3215 is an optically variable galaxy with very broad Bal mer lines, relatively strong forbidden lines, and a weak UV-excess con tinuum. It has been classed as a Seyfert 1 galaxy. We report that opti cal CCD images taken in excellent seeing reveal a central miniquasar i n an elliptical galaxy with a de Vaucouleurs profile extending across an angular diameter of similar to 13 arcsec, This corresponds to a lin ear size of almost 50 kpc (H-0 = 50 km s(-1) Mpc(-1)). Our data indica te that the host galaxy is of type gE2 and is the gravitational center of a cluster of galaxies. A companion galaxy is observed at a project ed distance of 24 kpc. H and K magnitudes were obtained and the index H-K is consistent with quasar colors. A VLA snapshot at 1425 MHz gives an upper limit to radio emission at a flux level of 0.2 mJy beam(-1) that is consistent with the Sy 1 designation. Thus US 3215 appears to be an active broad-line cluster gE2 galaxy.