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Credit & Copyright: ESO/WFI (visible);
MPIfR/ESO/APEX/A. Weiss et al. (microwave);
NASA/CXC/CfA/R. Kraft et al. (X-ray);
Inset: NASA/TANAMI/C. MÝller
et al. (radio)
Explanation:
Jets of streaming
plasma
expelled by the central black hole of a massive spiral galaxy
light up this composite image of
Centaurus A.
The jets emanating from
Cen A are over a million light years long.
Exactly how the
central black hole
expels infalling matter is still unknown.
After clearing the galaxy, however,
the jets inflate large
radio bubbles that likely glow for millions of years.
If excited by a passing front, radio bubbles can even light up again after a billion
years.
X-ray light is depicted in the
above composite image in blue, while
microwave light is false-colored orange.
The inset image in radio light shows newly imaged,
never seen-before details of the innermost light year of the
central jet.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
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: Centaurus A - spiral galaxy - jet
Publications with words: Centaurus A - spiral galaxy - jet
See also:
- APOD: 2025 September 4 Á NGC 4565: Galaxy on Edge
- APOD: 2025 September 3 Á Cir X1: Jets in the Africa Nebula
- APOD: 2025 August 22 Á A Tale of Two Nebulae
- APOD: 2025 August 19 Á Giant Galaxies in Pavo
- APOD: 2025 August 18 Á NGC 1309: A Useful Spiral Galaxy
- APOD: 2025 July 4 Á NGC 6946 and NGC 6939
- APOD: 2025 June 30 Á NGC 4651: The Umbrella Galaxy