Quasar host galaxy images from the Hubble Space Telescope archive

We systematically searched the non-proprietary data in the Hobble Space Tel escope (HST) Archive to identify low-redshift quasars that have been imaged with the Wide Field Planetary Camera-2 (WFPC-2) but that have not yet been presented in the literature. We identified five such objects. Since these represent a significant increment to the number of WFPC-2. imaged quasars p reviously presented in the Literature, we here present images of these obje cts and a discussion of their properties. Of the five objects, two are involved in spectacular ongoing gravitational interactions. This brings the total number of quasars seen on WFPC-2 images to be in such interactions to 11. A further two of the five quasars have c lose companion objects (i.e. within 30 kpc) suggestive of a recent interact ion. No evidence for an interaction can be seen on the fifth quasar. All five host systems are brighter than L* in keeping with the results foun d for other quasars imaged with WFPC-2. Three of the five quasars are at le ast 2.5 mag brighter than L* and an among the brightest host galaxies image d with WFPC-2. The results widen the derived difference in the mean absolut e luminosity of the hosts of radio-quiet quasars compared with the hosts of radio-loud quasars.