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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)
Explanation:
The jets emanating from
Centaurus A are over a million light years long.
These jets of streaming
plasma,
expelled by a giant black hole in the center of this spiral galaxy,
light up this composite image of
Cen A.
Exactly how the
central black hole
expels infalling matter remains unknown.
After clearing the galaxy, however,
the jets inflate large
radio bubbles that likely glow for millions of years.
If energized by a passing gas cloud,
the radio bubbles can even light up again
after billions of years.
X-ray light is depicted in the
featured composite image in blue, while
microwave
light is colored orange.
The base of the jet in
radio light shows
details of the innermost light year of the
central jet.
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A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Centaurus A - jet
Publications with words: Centaurus A - jet
See also: