The z \sim 1 radio galaxy 3C 280 has a particularly striking rest-frame UV morphology , with multiple line and continuum components precisely aligned with the radio structure , including an obvious semi-circular arc .
Here we explore the nature of these various components by bringing together HST and ground-based imaging , ground-based spectroscopy , and radio mapping .
From plausible decompositions of the spectra , we show that the continuum of the nuclear component is likely dominated by a combination of nebular thermal continuum , quasar light , and light from old stars .
A component that falls directly on the probable path of the radio jet shows mostly nebular thermal continuum and includes contributions from a relatively young stellar population with age around 100 Myr .
The arc appears to be completely dominated by line emission and nebular thermal continuum , with no evidence for a significant stellar contribution .
Though much of the aligned light is in UV components , the underlying old elliptical is also well-aligned with the radio axis .
The elliptical is well-fit by a de Vaucouleurs profile , probably has a moderately old stellar population ( \sim 3 Gyr ) , and is a massive system with a velocity dispersion of \sigma \approx 270 km s ^ { -1 } 
that implies it contains a supermassive black hole .
Although the arc and the extended emission surrounding the eastern lobe suggest that interactions between the radio lobe and jet must have been important in creating the UV morphology , the ionization and kinematic properties in these components are more consistent with photoionization than shock excitation .
3C 280 may be a transition object between the compact steep-spectrum radio galaxies which seem to be shock-dominated , and the extended radio sources which may have evolved past this phase and rarely show shock signatures .