1995A&A...298..737H

The optical counterpart of B 1422+231 has been imaged under very good seeing conditions (FWHM=0"65), and well resolved into 4 components found to be at the same location as the radio components. Component relative intensities are also consistent with the radio values although one component (A) appears slightly fainter. Subtraction of the four components has revealed the lensing galaxy (I=21) nearby the faintest component (D). Moderate resolution spectroscopy has shown that two components have the same emission line spectra, which definitively confirms the lensing hypothesis for B 1422+231. The lensing galaxy is revealed by a relatively red continuum and by several emission and absorption lines providing z=0.6471+0.001. Its spectrum is likely that of a spiral galaxy where some star formation is still at work. We also did photometry of the two galaxies lying a few arcseconds off the lensing system, which supports the idea that they are at the same redshift as the lensing galaxy. Consequences for modelling this gravitational mirage are exposed.