IUE and visual spectrophotometry of 3C 120 and Markarian 79.

Low-resolution ultraviolet spectra have been obtained with IUE and combined with similar visual observations. The continua of both objects show an excess of flux in the neighborhood of 3000 A. In both objects there appears to be a depression near 2200 A, which is probably the ultraviolet interstellar absorption feature centered at 2175 A. The strength of this feature suggests E(B-V) values of 0.22 and 0.38 for Mrk 79 and 3C 120, respectively. The ratio of intensities of L-alpha to H-beta is abnormally small compared with the radiative recombination ratio; the discrepancy is removed in 3C 120 and much reduced in Mrk 79 if the reddening values just mentioned are adopted. The C IV to L-alpha line intensity ratio is abnormally high in these objects compared with that for quasars. Although both objects have strong Fe II lines in the visual, there is no Fe II absorption or emission in the ultraviolet.