|
Credit & Copyright: SADR Observatory Team:
J-C Dalouzy,
P. Bazart, M. Dherböcourt, C. Humbert, G. Leroy,
J-P Quöau, H. Talbot, & E. Valin
Explanation:
What's happened to the center of this galaxy?
Dramatic dust lanes run across the center of unusual
elliptical galaxy
Centaurus A.
These dust lanes are so thick they almost completely obscure the
galaxy's center in
visible light.
This is particularly unusual as
Cen A's
older stars and oval shape are characteristic of a giant
elliptical galaxy, a galaxy type typically low in dark dust.
Pictured in
this deep image
is a complex network of foreground gas and dust, as well as
shells of dim stars and a
jet projecting to the upper right.
Also known as NGC 5128,
Cen A is surely the result of a
galactic collision where many young dust-creating stars were formed.
However, details of the creation of Cen A's unusually
active center and iconic central dust lanes are still
being researched.
Cen A lies only 13 million
light years away, making it the
closest active galaxy.
Jigsaw Galaxy:
Astronomy Puzzle of the Day
|
January February March |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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: Elliptical Galaxy
Publications with words: Elliptical Galaxy
See also: