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Monday, February 10, 2014

NGC 5128 - Centaurus A


Centaurus A: An active galaxy about 12 million light years from Earth.

Centaurus A is a galaxy well known for a gargantuan jet blasting away from a central supermassive black hole, which is seen in this new Chandra image. This image - where red, medium,and blue show low, medium, and high-energy X-rays respectively - has been processed with new techniques and contains data from observations equivalent to over nine and a half days worth of observing time taken between 1999 and 2012. The data housed in Chandra's extensive archive on Centaurus A provide a rich resource for a wide range of scientific investigations, including a recent study that examines the population and characteristics of black holes and neutron stars throughout the galaxy.

Scale: Image is 16.7 arcmin (about 58,000 light years)

Image credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/U.Birmingham/M.Burke et al.

Note: For more information, see Centaurus A: A New Look at an Old Friend.

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