  Multifrequency radio observations of the radio galaxy 3C459 using MERLIN, VLA
and the EVN, and an optical HST image using the F702W filter are presented. The
galaxy has a very asymmetric radio structure, a high infrared luminosity and a
young stellar population. The eastern component of the double-lobed structure
is brighter, much closer to the nucleus and is significantly less polarized
than the western one. This is consistent with the jet on the eastern side
interacting with dense gas, which could be due to a merged companion or dense
cloud of gas. The HST image of the galaxy presented here exhibits filamentary
structures, and is compared with the MERLIN 5-GHz radio map. EVN observations
of the prominent central component, which has a steep radio spectrum, show a
strongly curved structure suggesing a bent or helical radio jet. The radio
structure of 3C459 is compared with other highly asymmetric, Fanaroff-Riley II
radio sources, which are also good candidates for studying jet-cloud
interactions. Such sources are usually of small linear size and it is possible
that the jets are interacting with clouds of infalling gas that fuel the radio
source.
