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Credit: Robert Gendler and
Stephane Guisard
Explanation:
At the center of
this
sharp skyscape, Centaurus A seems to be
a fantastic jumble of old yellow stars, young blue star clusters,
and imposing dark dust lanes.
Spanning over 60,000 light-years,
the
peculiar elliptical galaxy is
apparently the result of a collision of two otherwise
normal galaxies.
The left over cosmic debris is steadily being consumed by a
black
hole with a billion times the mass of the Sun which lies
at the center of Centaurus A.
It's likely that such
black
hole central engines generate the
radio, X-ray, and gamma-ray energy radiated
by Centaurus A and other
active
galaxies.
For an active galaxy Centaurus A
is close, a mere 10 million
light-years away,
and is well-studied by
earthbound
astronomers.
Check out:
Venus and Saturn in tonight's evening sky.
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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 - black hole
Publications with words: active galaxy - black hole
See also: