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APOD: 2024 December 11 Á The Shells and Jets of Galaxy Centaurus A
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Credit & Copyright: Rolf Olsen
Explanation:
What's the closest active galaxy to
planet Earth?
That would be
Centaurus A,
cataloged as NGC 5128, which is only 12 million
light-years distant.
Forged in a collision of two otherwise normal galaxies,
Centaurus A shows several distinctive features including a
dark dust lane across its center,
outer shells of stars and gas, and
jets of particles shooting out from a
supermassive black hole at its center.
The featured image captures all of these in a
composite series of
visible light images totaling over
310 hours captured over the past 10 years
with a homebuilt telescope operating in
Auckland,
New Zealand.
The brightness of Cen A's center from low-energy
radio waves
to high-energy
gamma rays
underlies
its
designation as an
active galaxy.
Astrophysicists:
Browse 3,500+ codes in the Astrophysics Source Code Library
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: active galaxy - Centaurus A - NGC 5128
Publications with words: active galaxy - Centaurus A - NGC 5128
See also: