A Powerful Nuclear Starburst in the Seyfert Galaxy Markarian 477: Implications for the Starburst–Active Galactic Nucleus Connection

Abstract

There have been many suggestions that starbursts may play an important role in Seyfert galaxies. Recent analyses of the UV, optical, and near-IR "featureless continuum" (FC) in type 2 Seyfert nuclei have provided indirect evidence that the FC may be produced by a compact starburst and that this starburst may provide a power source for the pronounced far-IR excess in type 2 Seyfert galaxies. In the present paper, we present and discuss Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images and a UV spectrum plus new ground-based near-UV through near-IR spectra of Mrk 477 (=I Zw 92). This object is arguably the most powerful type 2 Seyfert nucleus in the local universe and thus offers a unique opportunity for detailed investigation of the nature of the FC.