Near-ultraviolet emission from 3C 66B and its jet

Detailed photometric results from high-resolution imaging of the radio galaxy 3C 66B in the near-UV, through both broad-band and narrow-band filters, are presented. The structure of the optical counterpart of the radio jet in the U band is made of five well-defined knots (A-E), whose U magnitudes range between 22.5 and 23.3. They are regularly spaced by 1.5 arcsec. Several U-emitting blobs are found, located either at the two edges of a probable dust lane or near the jet. The underlying galaxy is quite asymmetrical, with strong isophote twists and offcenterings. No forbidden O II emission has been found. 20 references.