  We present a new analysis of the very first mid-infrared N-band long-baseline
interferometric observations of an extragalactic source: the nucleus of the
Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC 1068, obtained with MIDI (Mid-InfrareD Interferometer),
the mid-infrared beamcombiner at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Very
Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). The resolution of 10 mas allows to study
the compact central core of the galaxy between 8 and 13 microns. Both
visibility measurements and MIDI spectrum are well reproduced with a simple
radiative transfer model with two concentric spherical components. The derived
angular sizes and temperatures are about 35 and 83 mas, and 361 K and 226 K for
these two components respectively. Some other evidences strongly support such
low temperatures. This modeling also provides the variation of optical depth as
a function of wavelength for the extended component across the N-band pointing
towards the presence of amorphous silicate grains. This shows that MIDI
actually carried out the first direct observations of the distribution of dust
around the central engine. Together with other observational pieces, we are
able to move a step forward in the reconstruction of the picture drawn for
AGNs.
