Combined-array images of an archetypal compact steep-spectrum source, 3C147

We present an EVN map at 1.67 GHz and combined EVN–MERLIN maps at 1.67 and 5 GHz of the compact steep-spectrum radio source 3C147. The maps reveal three dominant extended regions and a bright core. The structure cannot be readily explained with the standard relativistic beaming model. A sharp bend in the VLBI jet, and the overall distorted structure may be caused by the interaction of the jet with ambient gas, though we cannot rule out a multiengine source each with its own jet. Physical parameters of the knots along the VLBI jet and the age of 3C147 have been estimated.