Celestial hemisphere:  Southern  ·  Constellation: Centaurus (Cen)  ·  Contains:  Centaurus A  ·  HD116466  ·  NGC 5128
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Centaurus A NGC 5128, Daniel Stern
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Centaurus A NGC 5128

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Centaurus A NGC 5128, Daniel Stern
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Centaurus A NGC 5128

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Description

Centaurus A (NGC 5128) is a peculiar galaxy located in the southern constellation Centaurus.  It is the fifth brightest galaxy in the night sky, the nearest giant galaxy to the Milky Way, and one of the nearest radio galaxies (a galaxy that emits more light at radio wavelengths that at visible wavelengths) to Earth.  Radio galaxies are powered by a central supermassive black hole feeding on surrounding matter.  In this case the black hole has a mass of 55 million solar masses.  It is a starburst galaxy, one undergoing an exceptionally high rate of star formation. It is suspected that a galactic collision is responsible for the high rate of star birth.

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Centaurus A NGC 5128, Daniel Stern