Celestial hemisphere:  Southern  ·  Constellation: Centaurus (Cen)  ·  Contains:  Centaurus A  ·  NGC 5128
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Centaurus A, Patrick Dufour
Centaurus A
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Centaurus A

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Centaurus A, Patrick Dufour
Centaurus A
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Centaurus A

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Description

Centaurus A or NGC 5128 is a galaxy in the constellation of Centaurus. The images were taken during 10 nights and totaled 52 hours. This galaxy, also called NGC 5128, was first studied by the English astronomer James Dunlop in August 1826.

The celestial object is in the category of massive elliptical galaxies with, in its heart, a supermassive black hole. It is located about 12 million light years from Earth in the constellation Centaur.

Astrophysicists believe that its luminous nucleus, the strong radio emissions and the jet-like details of Centaurus A are produced by the central black hole, whose mass is approximately 100 million times that of the Sun.

This image highlights the elongated shape of the less luminous outer parts of the galaxy. The radiation that fills the majority of the image comes from the hundreds of billions of older and colder stars.

However, unlike most galaxies of the same type, the smooth shape of Centaurus A is disturbed by a large irregular band of dark matter which darkens the center of the galaxy.

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    Centaurus A, Patrick Dufour
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Description: Some enhancement on the Ha chanel

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Centaurus A, Patrick Dufour

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Astroimaging from Chile
Astro-Québec