3C 287.1 is classified as a broad-line Fanaroff-Riley Class Type 2 radio galaxy.[5][6] When observed with the Very Large Array (VLA) it is found to have a radio core and a bright one-sided jet located in the western radio lobe that is described as having a knotty and curved appearance, with further evidence of it displaying a sharp bend angle in a northern direction at the eastern hotspot location.[7][8] This jet features a counter-jet that corresponds to a straight jet with a great beamingvelocity of 0.3c and a line of sight angle less than 70°.[7] The total opticalpolarization of the galaxy is estimated to be little as three percent.[5][9]
The host galaxy of 3C 287.1 is a giant elliptical galaxy with an elongated appearance.[10] The stellar population of the galaxy is estimated to be dominated by old stars aged eight billion years[11] and it has a disky isothope morphology.[12] There is also evidence of a compact secondary nucleus with a separation of less than one arcsecond in the galaxy, indicating the possibility of a galaxy merger.[13][14] A linear tidal feature is seen 35 kiloparsecs in a southwest direction.[13] There are several companion objects in the galaxy's field, with one of them located northeast.[10][13]
The galaxy displays an extended emission-line region. When observed, the region is only shown as marginally resolved, with evidence of it also being shown detached in the southern direction, perpendicular to the jet. This region is estimated to display offset velocities reaching 400 kilometers per second.[15]
^Nolan, Louisa A.; Dunlop, James S.; Kukula, Marek J.; Hughes, David H.; Boroson, Todd; Jimenez, R. (2000-10-23), "The ages of quasar host galaxies", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 323 (2): 308–330, arXiv:astro-ph/0002020, doi:10.1046/j.1365-8711.2001.04174.x, arXiv:astro-ph/0002020
