A deeper look at Centaurus A

[Judi Lynn]

A deeper look at Centaurus A
May 16, 2012



Phys.org) -- The strange galaxy Centaurus A is pictured in a new image from the European Southern Observatory. With a total exposure time of more than 50 hours this is probably the deepest view of this peculiar and spectacular object ever created. The image was produced by the Wide Field Imager of the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile.

Centaurus A, also known as NGC 5128, is a peculiar massive elliptical galaxy with a supermassive black hole at its heart. It lies about 12 million light-years away in the southern constellation of Centaurus (The Centaur) and has the distinction of being the most prominent radio galaxy in the sky. Astronomers think that the bright nucleus, strong radio emission and jet features of Centaurus A are produced by a central black hole with a mass of about 100 million times that of the Sun. Matter from the dense central parts of the galaxy releases vast amounts of energy as it falls towards the black hole.

This Wide Field Imager (WFI) picture allows us to appreciate the galaxy's elliptical nature, which shows up as the elongated shape of the fainter outer parts. The glow that fills much of the picture comes from hundreds of billions of cooler and older stars. Unlike most elliptical galaxies, however, Centaurus A's smooth shape is disturbed by a broad and patchy band of dark material that obscures the galaxy's centre.

The dark band harbours large amounts of gas, dust and young stars. Bright young star clusters appear at the upper-right and lower-left edges of the band along with the red glow of star-forming clouds of hydrogen, whilst some isolated dust clouds are silhouetted against the stellar background. These features, and the prominent radio emission, are strong evidence that Centaurus A is the result of a merger between two galaxies. The dusty band is probably the mangled remains of a spiral galaxy in the process of being ripped apart by the gravitational pull of the giant elliptical galaxy.

More:
http://phys.org/news/2012-05-deeper-centaurus.html

[longship]

1. Southern hemisphere gets a lot of the good stuff

At about 42.5 degrees South, people in S USA may get a glimpse of NGC 5128 (Cent A's catalog number) close to the horizon. But for a good look at it one has to have some aperture, dark skies, and further south. If I didn't live near 45 N I'd like to try and snag it with my 10" Dob Newt.

Sigh. Guess I'll settle for what I have. At least us Northeners have the Orion Nebula to blow our minds.

[catbyte]

2. This stuff makes my head hurt but I love it