IUE observations of NGC 1068 - The extended high-ionization emission region

The emissions of the highly ionized species of N V, C IV, and He II have been used to delineate the extent of the high-ionization emission region (HIER) of NGC 1068. The observed fluxes from these features are quite large and are equal to those seen in IUE exposure of the central AGN. The HIER is extremely anisotropic about the nucleus with emission seen only in the NE quadrant within 2.5 kpc of the AGN. The correlation of strong emission in the HIER with the UV starburst knots strongly suggests that much of the observed emission is produced in the galactic plane of NGC 1068. A speculative, qualitative model is presented which supports the so-called dusty torus model and suggests that there has been preferential clearing of attenuating gas and dust both very near the nucleus and in the inner galactic disk.