The highly obscured Seyfert 2 nucleus in NGC 1448 observed with MUSE
  We present the analysis of an optical data cube of the central region of NGC
1448, obtained with the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE). Chandra X-ray
data indicate that the active galactic nucleus (AGN) is not located at the
apparent stellar nucleus of the galaxy, but at a projected distance of $1.75$
$\pm$ $0.22$ arcsec ($139 \pm 17$ pc). This is probably caused by the high
interstellar extinction in the surroundings of the AGN, which corresponds to
the true nucleus of the galaxy, as also proposed by previous studies. The
morphology and classification of the optical line-emitting regions indicate two
ionization cones, around an axis with a position angle of $PA_{cones}$ =
-50{\deg} $\pm$ 7{\deg}, with emission-line spectra characteristic of Seyfert
galaxies. The stellar and gas kinematics are consistent with a stellar and gas
rotating disc around the nucleus, with a velocity amplitude of 125 km s$^{-1}$.
Two probable outflows from the AGN were detected along the region of the two
ionization cones. The AGN position does not coincide with the brightest
line-emitting region at the centre of NGC 1448. That may be a consequence of
the high obscuration from the AGN towards the observer (the AGN is actually
Compton thick), mostly caused by a nearly edge-on torus. An additional
hypothesis is that the AGN reduced its luminosity, during the last 440 yr, to
nearly half of the value in the past. In this case, the brightest line-emitting
region corresponds to a "light echo" or a "fossil" of the AGN in the past.
