View allAll Photos Tagged CentaurusA
Centaurus A / NGC 5128
Takahashi TOA-150
Camera: FLI ML16200
Filter: Chroma L
Focuser: FLI Atlas
Focal Length: 1100mm
Focal Ratio: f/5.0
Mount: A-P 1600GTO-AE
Location: Deep Sky West, Chile
L: 30 x 900sec
Ha, G, and B data might be added in the future.
NGC 5128 or Caldwell 77.
Designation: galaxy.
Visual magnitude: +6.6
Diameter: 90,300 light years.
Distance: 12 million light years.
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With an apparent diameter of 26 arc-minutes, Centaurus A appears almost Moon size, although its outer fringes are not picked up in my image.
It is believed to be two galaxies in collision.
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Date: 2020-03-20
Exposure: 41 x 176s = 120 min.
Camera: ZWO ASI 071 MC Pro.
Telescope: Skywatcher Esprit 120mm refractor.
Galaxy Centaurus A ( NGC 5128 ) in the southern constellation Centaurus - by Mike O'Day ( 500px.com/MikeODay ).
Centaurus A is relatively near to us in the local group of galaxies and is around 11 Million light years away. The unusual shape of Centaurus A is believed to be due to an ancient collision between a large elliptical galaxy and a much smaller spiral galaxy.
With an apparent magnitude of +6.8, Centaurus A is the fifth brightest galaxy in the night sky and in the middle of the 20th century it was identified as being the strongest radio sources in the Centaurus constellation.
This image was taken with a stock Nikon DSLR that captured the visible wavelengths of light with a "daylight" white-balance.
Links:
www.flickr.com/photos/mike-oday
Details:
Galaxy - Centaurus A ( NGC 5128 )
Image ( Nova.astrometry.net ):
Center (RA, hms):13h 25m 29.265s
Center (Dec, dms):-43° 01' 12.222"
Size: 40.2 x 27.3 arcmin
Radius: 0.405 deg
Orientation: Up is North
Telescope: Orion Optics CT12 Newtonian ( mirror 300mm, fl 1200mm, f4 ).
Corrector: ASA 2" Coma Corrector Quattro 1.175x.
Effective Focal Length / Aperture : 1410mm f4.7
Mount: Skywatcher AZ Eq6 GT
Guiding: TSOAG9 Off-Axis-Guider, Starlight Xpress Lodestar X2, PHD2
Camera: Nikon D5300 (unmodified) (sensor 23.5 x 15.6mm, 6016x4016 3.9um pixels)
Format: 14bit NEF
Noise reduction: off
Filter: none
HDR combination of seven sets of exposures (27, 28 & 29 April 2017):
85 x 240 sec ISO 800
16 x 120 sec ISO 800
16 x 60 sec ISO 800
16 x 30 sec ISO 800
16 x 15 sec ISO 800
16 x 8 sec ISO 800
16 x 4 sec ISO 800
16 x 2 sec ISO 800
Pixinsight May 2017
Centaurus A Galaxy. this is a combination of many nights of data shot over the last year, I tried some new software out that lets you combine images from different sessions and camera's and even focal lengths . Have to say I am impressed with this software ( Astro pixel processor )
Centaurus A
CHI-1, 60cm F6.5 Reflector
Model: Planewave CDK24
Aperture: 610 mm (24 inches)
Focal Length: 3962 mm
Model: QHY 600M Pro
Pixel Size: 3.76s μm
Observatory name: El Sauce Observatory
Location: Río Hurtado, Coquimbo Region, Chile
Coordinates: 30.472529° S, 70.762999° W (Google maps)
Elevation: 1525 m
Average seeing: 1'' - 1.5''
MPC code: X02
Original data from Telescope Live
17,5h LRGBHa data, integrated in PixInsight
Centaurus A Galaxy imaged in LRGB using 27" f/6.6 Planewave CDK Telescope & FLI PLO9000 CCD
30 mins Luminance, 5 mins each RGB Channel
Supernova SN 2016adj is indicated box at the bottom of this image
Captured remotely from SSO Australia
NGC 5128 - Centaurus A is a galaxy in the constellation of Centaurus. It was discovered in 1826 by Scottish astronomer James Dunlop from his home in Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia. It is approximately 10–16 million light-years away,and is one of the closest radio galaxies to Earth. It is the fifth-brightest in the sky, but is only visible from the southern hemisphere and low northern latitudes.
At the center of the galaxy is a supermassive black hole with a mass 55 million times greater than the our Sun.
Equipment Details:
•8 Inch Skywatcher Quattro Carbon Fibre F4.0 Newtonian Reflector
•Skywatcher NEQ6 Mount
•SBIG ST 2000xm CCD Camera cooled to -20'c
•SBIG CFW8 Filter Wheel
•Custom Scientific Lum, Red, Green, Blue Filters
•SKywatcher BD 102mm Guide Scope
•Meade DSIii CCD Guide Camera
•Polemaster for polar alignment
Exposure Details:
•Lum 20X300 seconds - Bin 1x1
•Red 10X300 seconds - Bin 1x1
•Green 10X300 seconds - Bin 1x1
•Blue 10X300 seconds - Bin 1x1
Total Integration Time: 4 hours 15 Mins
Taken from Savannah Skies Observatory using an SBIG STXL-6303 camera and 33-cm RCOS telescope on a Software Bisque PME Mount.
Celestron 9.25 + Celestron f/6.3 Reducer + ZWO ASI533MC + Optolong L-Pro
EQ6-R Pro
Guiding with ASI120MC-S + William Optics UniGuide 32mm
214x120" lights calibrated with darks and bias frames
Nebulosity4 for Mac
PixInsight
Cairns, Australia
Bortle 6
Centaurus A is the fifth brightest galaxy in our skies. It is located in the constellation of Centaurus, the Southern Hemisphere. The bright central bulge and unique dust lane are excellent targets for amateur visual astronomy observations as they can be seen in finder scopes and with large binoculars. If you are lucky enough to get to a very dark location with the right conditions, it is visible to the naked eye. However, to truly study all of the beautiful details within, astrophotography is the weapon of choice.
I was fortunate enough to have Connor Matherne contribute an additional 15 hours of Ha data to the 77 X 1200 sec subs of Ha I had committed to this project. It certainly helped with the very noisy Ha component of the data set.
I imaged this target five years ago with the same scope. The only difference was that I would rip everything out of my home observatory in the city and head bush. That was a three-hour task to rip apart, and three hours to assemble, then polar align, calibrate AO and guiding etc, image, and then rip apart and reassemble at home and recalibrate.
I find the differences between the photos interesting. There are many more stars with this version, and that funky collection of jets are an excellent addition. Mind you, five years ago I only managed to grab 5 hours of data. If your interested, this was my result, mobile setup.
live.staticflickr.com/8758/18318174186_922fbfc8b5_k.jpg
And setting up my rig:
www.flickr.com/photos/97807083@N00/22402735436/in/photost...
I wanted to retain that bight dirty brown halo extending around the galaxy, and not push it too far and have it become distracting from it’s more natural look. I can just see the lobs of that galaxy halo against the background at both the 1 o’clock and 7 o’clock positions. The jets were difficult as they are very dim and noisy. They seem to have a three-dimensional luminescent quality as they blast outwards into the cosmos.
Oh I forgot, fun facts,
•About 12 million light-years away.
•Peculiar massive elliptical galaxy with a supermassive black hole at its heart.
•The supermassive black hole is estimated to be of 55 million solar masses.
•It has an active nucleus which means that matter falls into the supermassive black hole, it then shoots electrons from its poles at the half the speed of light, creating massive jets that spread thousands light years into space.
•Has the distinction of being the most prominent radio galaxy in the sky.
•Has active star forming areas along the bluish ridge like areas.
Exposure Details:
Lum 58 X 900 Binned 1X1
Red 20 X 450 Binned 2X2
Green 24 X 450 Binned 2X2
Blue 22 X 450 Binned 2X2
Ha 77 X 1200 RCOS / 33 X 1800 extra hours from Tak TOA (Connor Matherne) 42.1 Hours Ha
Total time: 62.7 Hours
Instruments
Telescope: 10" Ritchey-Chrétien RCOS
Camera: SBIG STL-11000 Mono
Mount: Astro-Physics AP-900
Focal Length....... 2310.00 mm
Pixel size ........ 9.00 um
Resolution ........ 0.82 arcsec/pix
Thanks for looking
Terry
Editor's note: This is an archive image from 2003. I was looking for something pretty to evoke a feeling of "Nature's fireworks." Happy 2011 to all of our Flickr friends!
This is a composite image of Chandra X-ray (blue) and VLA radio (red) observations showing the inner 4,000 light years of a magnetized jet in Centaurus A. Purple regions are bright in both radio and X-ray. The jet originates from the vicinity of the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy (lower right hand corner of the image).
The radio observations, taken between 1991 and 2002, showed that the inner portion of the jet is moving away from the center of the galaxy at speeds of about half the speed of light. Most of the X-rays from the jet are produced farther out where the jet stalls as it plows through the gas in the galaxy. The collision of the jet with the galactic gas generates a powerful shock wave that produces the extremely high-energy particles responsible for the X-rays.
Because Centaurus A Jet is relatively nearby at a distance of 11 million light years, this image offers one of the most detailed looks yet at the interaction of a jet with gas in its galaxy. Jets such as the one in Centaurus A Jet are widespread phenomena in the cosmos, and represent one of the primary means for extracting energy from the vicinity of a black hole. Some jets extend over distances of a million light years. They represent a major energy source for the galaxy and are thought to affect the evolution of the host galaxy and its surroundings. The Centaurus A Jet image will help scientists to understand the effects of jets on their environment.
Credits: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Bristol U./M. Hardcastle et al.; Radio: NRAO/AUI/NSF/Bristol U./M. Hardcastle
Read entire caption/view more images: chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2003/cenajet/
Caption credit: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Read more about Chandra:
p.s. You can see all of our Chandra photos in the Chandra Group in Flickr at: www.flickr.com/groups/chandranasa/ We'd love to have you as a member!
Equipment:
Imaging telescope: BeamTech CDK250
Imaging camera: QSI-583wsg
Mount: Astro-Physics 1100GTO
Guiding camera: Starlight Express Lodestar X2 Autoguider
Filters:
Astrodon 3nm Ha 31mm,
Astrodon Tru-Balance RGB E-Series Gen 2,
Astrodon E-Series Gen 2 Luminance
Software:
Acquisition and automation: Starkeeper.it VOYAGER,
Guiding: PHD2,
Raw image calibration and stacking: CCDStack 2+,
Colour calibration: bf-astro eXcalibrator,
Image tweeking: Photoshop CC-2020,
Dates:
11 March - 17 April 2020.
Frames:
Astrodon 3nm Ha 31mm: 55x1800" -20C bin 1x1
Astrodon E-Series Gen 2 Luminance: 81x240" -20C bin 1x1
Astrodon Tru-Balance RGB E-Series Gen 2: 79x240" -20C bin 1x1
Total Integration: 38.2 hours.
Astrometry.net job: 3429702
RA center: 13h 25' 30"
DEC center: -42° 57' 54"
Pixel scale: 0.769 arcsec/pixel
Orientation: 269.932 degrees, up is 270 degrees E of N.
Field size: 41.8 x 31.4 arcmin
Field radius: 0.435 degrees
Centaurus A (NGC 5128) is a galaxy in the constellation of Centaurus 13 million lightyears away. NGC 5128 is one of the closest radio galaxies to Earth and is also the fifth-brightest in the sky, making it an ideal amateur astronomy target.
The galaxy is only visible from below very low northern latitudes but is best seen or imaged from the southern hemisphere.
This photo was imaged using a Celestron C8 and a QHY268M at f6.3 1280mm focal length.
Total integration time was 35 hours and 40 minutes, 48x300sec luminance subs through a neodymium filter, 27x120s red, 27x180s green, 27x300s blue, Hα:36x300s, OIII:31x600s & UV:21x1800s filters.
Galaxy Centaurus A ( NGC 5128 ) in the southern constellation Centaurus - by Mike O'Day ( 500px.com/MikeODay ).
Centaurus A is relatively near to us in the local group of galaxies and is around 11 Million light years away. The unusual shape of Centaurus A is believed to be due to an ancient collision between a large elliptical galaxy and a much smaller spiral galaxy.
With an apparent magnitude of +6.8, Centaurus A is the fifth brightest galaxy in the night sky and in the middle of the 20th century it was identified as being the strongest radio sources in the Centaurus constellation.
This image was taken with a stock Nikon DSLR that captured the visible wavelengths of light with a "daylight" white-balance.
Links:
www.flickr.com/photos/mike-oday
Details:
Galaxy - Centaurus A ( NGC 5128 )
Image ( Nova.astrometry.net ):
Center (RA, hms): 13h 25m 27.021s
Center (Dec, dms): -43° 01' 18.515"
Size: 100% crop of full image
26.7 x 18.2 arcmin
Orientation: Up is -89.9 degrees E of N
Telescope: Orion Optics CT12 Newtonian ( mirror 300mm, fl 120mm, f4 ).
Corrector: ASA 2" Coma Corrector Quattro 1.175x.
Effective Focal Length / Aperture : 1410mm f4.7
Mount: Skywatcher AZ Eq6 GT
Guiding: TSOAG9 Off-Axis-Guider, Starlight Xpress Lodestar X2, PHD2
Camera: Nikon D5300 (unmodified) (sensor 23.5 x 15.6mm, 6016x4016 3.9um pixels)
Format: 14bit NEF
Noise reduction: off
Filter: none
HDR combination of seven sets of exposures (27, 28 & 29 April 2017):
85 x 240 sec ISO 800
16 x 120 sec ISO 800
16 x 60 sec ISO 800
16 x 30 sec ISO 800
16 x 15 sec ISO 800
16 x 8 sec ISO 800
16 x 4 sec ISO 800
16 x 2 sec ISO 800
Pixinsight May 2017
Centaurus A, also known as NGC 5128, is a peculiar lenticular galaxy in the constellation Centaurus, which appears to be an elliptical galaxy with a huge superimposed dust lane. It is one of the closest radio galaxies, and its active galactic nucleus has been extensively studied.
Discovery and Identity
NGC 5128 was discovered by James Dunlop on August 4, 1826. John Herschel was next to see it, from South Africa in 1834; he cataloged it as h 3501, which became GC 3525 in his General Catalogue of 1864, and NGC 5128 in J. L. E. Dreyer's New General Catalog. Herschel was first to note this galaxy's peculiarity, in 1847.
Halton Arp included NGC 5128 in his 1966 Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies as one of the best examples of a "disturbed" galaxy with dust absorption.
Amateur Observation
Centaurus A appears approximately 4° north of the naked-eye globular cluster Omega Centauri. At magnitude 7.0, this galaxy is the fifth brightest in the sky, making it ideal for observation, although it is only visible from the southern hemisphere and low northern latitudes. Centaurus A has been spotted with the naked eye by expert observers under very good conditions. The bright central bulge and dark dust lane are visible in finderscopes and large binoculars, and additional structure may be seen in larger telescopes.
NGC 5128 is a "lenticular" galaxy, of intermediate type between elliptical and disk (spiral) galaxies. Its main body has all characteristics of a large elliptical, but a pronounced dust belt is superimposed over the center, forming a disk plane around this galaxy.
The only supernova discovered in Centaurus A so far is SN 1986G, a Type Ia event that reached mag 12.5 in May, 1986.
Properties and Evolution
Centaurus A is located about 11 million light-years away, at the center of one of two subgroups within the Centaurus A/M83 Group. Messier 83 (the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy) is at the center of the other subgroup. These two groups are sometimes identified as one, since the galaxies around Centaurus A and the galaxies around M 83 are physically close to each other, and both subgroups appear to be stationary relative to each other. The Centaurus A/M83 Group is part of the Virgo Supercluster.
NGC 5128's strange morphology is the result of a merger between two smaller galaxies. The bulge of Centaurus A is comprised mainly of evolved red stars. Its dusty disk, however, has been the site of more recent star formation; over 100 star formation regions have been identified in the disk. As observed in other such "starburst" galaxies, a collision is responsible for the intense star formation. Scientists using the Spitzer Space Telescope have confirmed that Centaurus A is an elliptical galaxy going through a collision, devouring a spiral.
In the radio part of the spectrum, Centaurus A exhibits two vast regions of radio emission, running along the polar axis of NGC 5128's disk and extending hundreds of light years in both directions. A relativistic jet from what is believed to be a supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy is responsible for emissions in the X-ray and radio wavelengths. Radio observations of the jet indicate that the inner parts of the jet are moving at about 1/2 the speed of light. X-rays are produced farther out, as the jet collides with surrounding gases, creating highly energetic particles.
Source: skysafari
RA: 13h 25m 27;8s
DEC: -43° 01’ 04"
Size: 28.9 x 28.9 arcmin
Orientation: Up is 0.397 degrees E of N
Location: Centaurus
Distance: 10-16 Mly
Magnitude: 6.8
Acquisition April 2021
Total acquisition time of 2.5 hours.
Technical Details
Data acquisition: Telescope.Live
Processing: Nicolas ROLLAND
Location: El Sauce Observatory, Rio Hurtado, Chile
L 6 x 600 sec
R 3 x 600 sec
G 3 x 600 sec
B 3 x 600 sec
Optics: Planewave 24“ CDK @ F6.8
Mount: Paramount ME
CCD: FLI PL 9000
Pre Processing: CCDstack, Pixinsight & Excalibrator
Post Processing: Photoshop CC
This is a different view of the incredibly bright galaxy NGC5128, known as Centaurus A, or commonly named as the Hamburger Galaxy. In this view of Centaurus A, I have tried to allow us to peer into this bright glow to reveal the hidden dust surrounding this galaxy. Part of the disclosure, are a number of brighter shells [however faint] and plumes of ejected material, noticeably seen diagonally to the left lower centre, and out to the right upper centre. These being the effects of a super massive black hole that is also the source of the visible relativistic jet emerging out to the lower left.
Through image processing techniques, we can try to show details of an object not always seen in the normal light or glow of the object. Hope you like this different rendition, and thanks for looking!
Hi resolution link to the Centaurus A:
live.staticflickr.com/65535/47108982844_5639ebe6dd_o.jpg
Just for fun...
As a result of my wife’s envisaging of this object appearing as a Dragons Eye [GoT spin off], I thought to join a pair of these NGC5128’s to make the Dragons Eye complete, and how crazy is the result!
Hi resolution link to the Dragons Eyes:
live.staticflickr.com/65535/47898293511_cbab7a0ca9_k.jpg
Information about the image:
Center (RA, Dec):(201.346, -43.007)
Center (RA, hms):13h 25m 23.134s
Center (Dec, dms):-43° 00' 24.496"
Size:48.9 x 32.6 arcmin
Radius:0.490 deg
Pixel scale:0.732 arcsec/pixel
Orientation:Up is 71.5 degrees E of N
Instrument: Planewave CDK 12.5 | Focal Ratio: F8
Camera: STXL-11000 + AOX | Mount: AP900GTO
Camera Sensitivity: Lum & Ha: BIN 1x1, RGB: BIN 2x2
Exposure Details: Total: 43.92hours | Lum: 99 x 900 sec [24.75hr], Ha: 44 x 1200sec [14.7hr], RGB 450sec x 12 each [4.5hrs]
Viewing Location: Central Victoria, Australia.
Observatory: ScopeDome 3m
Date: April-May 2019
Software Enhancements: CCDStack2, CCDBand-Aid, PS, Pixinsight
Author: Steven Mohr
Centaurus A is the fifth brightest galaxy in the sky and located in the constellation of Centaurus. Perhaps is most unique feature is that incredible dust lane that runs across its middle. Like many galaxies, Centaurus A contains a supermassive black hole. This is responsible for a giant jet blasting away from its centre. The bright central bulge and unique dust lane are great targets for amateur visual astronomy observations as it can be seen in finder scopes and large binoculars. If you are lucky enough to get to a very dark location with the right conditions, it is visible to the naked eye. However, to truly study all of the wonderful details within, astrophotography is the weapon of choice.
This image was taken from Heathcote, Vic. Australia. It is colour image combining Luminance, Red, Green, and Blue filtered light.
Image center ...... RA: 13 25 28.350 Dec: -43 00 58.52
Focal Length....... 2300.00 mm
Pixel size ........ 9.00 um
Resolution ........ 0.82 arcsec/pix
Instruments
Telescope: 10" Ritchey-Chrétien
Camera: SBIG STL-11000 Mono
Mount: Astro-Physics AP-900
Software: CCDStack, Photoshop.
Image Date: 17 May 2015
3 Hours, 33 Min for Lum Channel
1 Hour, 25 Min for each RGB channel
Terry
Telescope: GSO 150mm (6") F5 newtonian
Camera: Canon 750D (T6i) modified
Tracking: iOptron CEM25P + ZWO 60/280 guider + QHY5L-ii
Filter: Optolong L-PRO
290 x 120s ISO 1600(9h40 total exposure time)
Bortle 7
2022/05/20 - 2022/05/21 - 2022/05/22
Centaurus A (also known as NGC 5128 or Caldwell 77) is a galaxy in the constellation of Centaurus. It was discovered in 1826 by Scottish astronomer James Dunlop from his home in Parramatta, in New South Wales, Australia. Shot with Canon 5Dsr and SW Quattro 250 F/4. 10 x 55 sec frames stacked in Sequator.
Centaurus A sports a warped central disk of gas and dust, which is evidence of a past collision and merger with another galaxy. It also has an active galactic nucleus that periodically emits jets. It is the fifth brightest galaxy in the sky and only about 13 million light-years away from Earth, making it an ideal target to study an active galactic nucleus – a supermassive black hole emitting jets and winds – with NASA's upcoming James Webb Space Telescope.
Image credit: NASA/CXC/C.Lisse & S.Wolk
#NASA #MarshallSpaceFlightCenter #MSFC #Marshall #chandraxrayobservatory #ChandraXRay #cxo #chandra #astronomy #space #astrophysics #nasamarshallspaceflightcenter #solarsystemandbeyond #comet
This 2009 Chandra image of the nearby galaxy Centaurus A provides one of the best views to date of the effects of an active supermassive black hole. Opposing jets of high-energy particles can be seen extending to the outer reaches of the galaxy, and numerous smaller black holes in binary star systems are also visible.
Image credit: NASA/CXC/CfA/R.Kraft et al.
#NASAMarshall #Chandra #NASAChandra #ChandraXrayObservatory #galaxy
A dramatic 2008 Chandra image of the nearby galaxy Centaurus A provides one of the best views of the effects of an active supermassive black hole. Opposing jets of high-energy particles can be seen extending to the outer reaches of the galaxy, and numerous smaller black holes in binary star systems are also visible. This multi-panel shows the Chandra image in context with radio and optical data.
Image credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/CfA/R.Kraft et al; Radio: NSF/VLA/Univ.Hertfordshire/M.Hardcastle; Optical: ESO/WFI/M.Rejkuba et al.
#NASAMarshall #Chandra #NASAChandra #ChandraXrayObservatory #stars #supermassiveblackhole #blackhole #galaxy
When you're in the mood to do some astrophotography, but can't be bothered humping it out to the sticks to shoot the Milky Way, the other option is stay home and shoot another Galaxy altogether :)
This 2009 image of Centaurus A shows a spectacular new view of a supermassive black hole's power. Jets and lobes powered by the central black hole in this nearby galaxy are shown by submillimeter data (colored orange) from the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) telescope in Chile and X-ray data (colored blue) from the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Visible light data from the Wide Field Imager on the Max-Planck/ESO 2.2 m telescope, also located in Chile, shows the dust lane in the galaxy and background stars. The X-ray jet in the upper left extends for about 13,000 light years away from the black hole. The APEX data shows that material in the jet is travelling at about half the speed of light.
Image credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/CfA/R.Kraft et al.; Submillimeter: MPIfR/ESO/APEX/A.Weiss et al.; Optical: ESO/WFI
NGC 5128 is a peculiar galaxy in the southern constellation of Centaurus. I processed this image with publicly available data from the Las Cumbres Observatory. The PI for this observation was Edward Gomez. This image included data collected with B, V and R filters. The data comes from 1 m telescopes at the South African Astronomical Observatory and Siding Spring Observatory in Australia. Individual images acquired with the following filters were stacked to generate the final image.
Red : 2.08 hours of R
Green: 1.83 hours of V
Blue : 1.82 hours of B
NGC 5128 is also the source of a very strong radio source called Centaurus A. The prevailing hypothesis for the strange shape of the galaxy is a merger between a giant elliptical galaxy and a spiral galaxy. This merger is also believed to be the reason for the strong radio emission. More in this excellent review paper here: arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/9811051
Publishing credits:
LCO website as part of their image gallery: lco.global/images/space/
Centaurus A (NGC 5128) is a galaxy in the constellation of Centaurus 13 million lightyears away. NGC 5128 is one of the closest radio galaxies to Earth and is also the fifth-brightest in the sky, making it an ideal amateur astronomy target.
The galaxy is only visible from below very low northern latitudes but is best seen or imaged from the southern hemisphere.
This photo was imaged using a Celestron C8 and a QHY268M at the native 2032mm focal length.
This object was exposed for 3 hours and 56 minutes, 16x600sec luminance subs through a UV/IR rejection filter and 6x120s red, 8x180s green and 8x300s blue filters.
NASA image release May 20, 2011
To see a really cool video related to this image go here: www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/5740451675/in/photostream
This composite of visible, microwave (orange) and X-ray (blue) data reveals the jets and radio-emitting lobes emanating from Centaurus A's central black hole. Credit: ESO/WFI (visible); MPIfR/ESO/APEX/A.Weiss et al. (microwave); NASA/CXC/CfA/R.Kraft et al. (X-ray)
To read more go to: www.nasa.gov/topics/universe/features/radio-particle-jets...
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.
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Centaurus A / NGC5128 at a distance of cca 11M LY is the result of a merger between two smaller galaxies. In the center of the dust belt we see evolved red stars while other newer stars can be observed in the bluish area outside lower right. NGC5128 is the fifth brightest galaxy and currently comes relatively near of the zenith in our NZ skies.
25 x 300s using Explore Scientific ED102 FCD100, ASI294MC Pro.
April 2020
Centaurus A / NGC 5128
Takahashi TOA-150
Camera: FLI ML16200
Filter: Chroma L
Focuser: FLI Atlas
Focal Length: 1100mm
Focal Ratio: f/5.0
Mount: A-P 1600GTO-AE
Location: Deep Sky West, Chile
L: 30 x 900sec
Ha, G, and B data might be added in the future.
"Can I even shoot this?" was the question I asked myself.
Galaxies are tough targets. Their light is diffuse, and you usually need longer exposures to bring out any sort of detail. This galaxy was only 12° off the true horizon when I was imaging it, and even closer to the visible horizon due to mountains to the south. (I was near Juliian, CA.) Guiding wasn't great, but the skies were so clear and relatively free of light pollution. I had to try.
This is the closest galaxy to ours that shows strong activity in the nucleus. In X-rays, it shows a prominent jet of radiation from relativistic particles. In radio waves, it has two huge lobes in the sky. This is from 20 minutes (10 2 minute exposures) in visible light with an Atik 314L+ color CCD attached to a HyperStar lens on a Celestron Edge HD 925. Guiding was iffy due to wind and the low altitude. Preprocessing in Nebulosity; stacking and processing in PixInsight; final processing in Photoshop.
Centaurus A Galaxy imaged in LRGB using 27" f/6.6 Planewave CDK Telescope & FLI PLO9000 CCD
30 mins Luminance, 5 mins each RGB Channel
Supernova SN 2016adj is also visible in this image (shown in annotated image in photostream)
Captured remotely from SSO Australia
A dramatic new Chandra image of the nearby galaxy Centaurus A provides one of the best views to date of the effects of an active supermassive black hole. Opposing jets of high-energy particles can be seen extending to the outer reaches of the galaxy, and numerous smaller black holes in binary star systems are also visible.
The image was made from an ultra-deep look at the galaxy Centaurus A, equivalent to more than seven days of continuous observations. Centaurus A is the nearest galaxy to Earth that contains a supermassive black hole actively powering a jet.
A prominent X-ray jet extending for 13,000 light years points to the upper left in the image, with a shorter "counterjet" aimed in the opposite direction. Astronomers think that such jets are important vehicles for transporting energy from the black hole to the much larger dimensions of a galaxy, and affecting the rate at which stars form there.
High-energy electrons spiraling around magnetic field lines produce the X-ray emission from the jet and counterjet. This emission quickly saps the energy from the electrons, so they must be continually reaccelerated or the X-rays will fade out. Knot-like features in the jets detected in the Chandra image show where the acceleration of particles to high energies is currently occurring, and provides important clues to understanding the process that accelerates the electrons to near-light speeds.
This year, NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory celebrates its 20th year in space exploring the extreme universe.
Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/CfA/R.Kraft et al Radio: NSF/VLA/Univ. of Hertfordshire/M.Hardcastle et al. Optical: ESO/VLT/ISAAC/M.Rejkuba et al.
NGC 5128 ist eine elliptische Galaxie im Sternbild Centaurus. Sie enthält eine starke Quelle von Radiostrahlung und wird daher meistens gemäß dem Katalog starker Radioquellen mit Centaurus A bezeichnet. Auffällig ist das dichte Staubband.
Spiegelteleskop (12,5“/32 cm), monochrome Astro CCD-Kamera
Brennweite 2885 mm – Öffnungsverhältnis f/9
23 Aufnahmen à 180/300 sec in L/R/G/B, Gesamt: 1 Stunde 39 Minuten
11.-18.05.2023, Siding Springs Observatory, Australien (ferngesteuert)
Centaurus A - NGC 5128 a galaxy in the southern constellation of Centaurus.
Imaged on a very moonlit night using a Planewave 27" (0.7m) f/6.6 CDK700WF and FLI PLO09000 CCD at SSO
30 minutes Luminance, 5 minutes R,G,B
A dramatic Chandra image from 2008 of the nearby galaxy Centaurus A provides one of the best views to date of the effects of an active supermassive black hole. Opposing jets of high-energy particles can be seen extending to the outer reaches of the galaxy, and numerous smaller black holes in binary star systems are also visible.
The image was made from an ultra-deep look at the galaxy Centaurus A, equivalent to more than seven days of continuous observations. Centaurus A is the nearest galaxy to Earth that contains a supermassive black hole actively powering a jet.
A prominent X-ray jet extending for 13,000 light years points to the upper left in the image, with a shorter "counterjet" aimed in the opposite direction. Astronomers think that such jets are important vehicles for transporting energy from the black hole to the much larger dimensions of a galaxy, and affecting the rate at which stars form there.
High-energy electrons spiraling around magnetic field lines produce the X-ray emission from the jet and counterjet. This emission quickly saps the energy from the electrons, so they must be continually reaccelerated or the X-rays will fade out. Knot-like features in the jets detected in the Chandra image show where the acceleration of particles to high energies is currently occurring, and provides important clues to understanding the process that accelerates the electrons to near-light speeds.
This year, NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory celebrates its 20th year in space exploring the extreme universe.
Credit: NASA/CXC/CfA/R.Kraft et al
Located approximately 11 million light years away, Centaurus A (also known as NGC 5128) is a large elliptical galaxy in the constellation of Centaurus. It is the 5th brightest galaxy in the sky and an easy target for visual observers. Being a very bright radio galaxy as well, it has been studied extensively by astronomers.
This is a 7.5hr LRGB image (210, 80, 80, 80 mins). Lum subs were 15 mins unbinned and RGB subs were 20 mins unbinned.
FOV is 54 x 35 arcmins @ 1.05 arcsec/pixel.
Takahashi TOA-150 refractor @ F11.7 (FL=1760mm) on a Paramount ME with SBIG STL 11000M camera and AO-L.
This is a 2003 composite image of Chandra X-ray (blue) and VLA radio (red) observations showing the inner 4,000 light years of a magnetized jet in Centaurus A. Purple regions are bright in both radio and X-ray. The jet originates from the vicinity of the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy (lower right hand corner of the image).
The radio observations, taken between 1991 and 2002, showed that the inner portion of the jet is moving away from the center of the galaxy at speeds of about half the speed of light. Most of the X-rays from the jet are produced farther out where the jet stalls as it plows through the gas in the galaxy. The collision of the jet with the galactic gas generates a powerful shock wave that produces the extremely high-energy particles responsible for the X-rays.
Because Centaurus A Jet is relatively nearby at a distance of 11 million light years, this image offers one of the most detailed looks yet at the interaction of a jet with gas in its galaxy. Jets such as the one in Centaurus A Jet are widespread phenomena in the cosmos, and represent one of the primary means for extracting energy from the vicinity of a black hole. Some jets extend over distances of a million light years. They represent a major energy source for the galaxy and are thought to affect the evolution of the host galaxy and its surroundings. The Centaurus A Jet image will help scientists to understand the effects of jets on their environment.
Image credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Bristol U./M. Hardcastle et al.; Radio: NRAO/AUI/NSF/Bristol U./M. Hardcastle
#NASA #MarshallSpaceFlightCenter #MSFC #Marshall #chandraxrayobservatory #ChandraXRay #cxo #chandra #astronomy #space #astrophysics #nasamarshallspaceflightcenter #solarsystemandbeyond #galaxy #supermassiveblackhole #blackhole #CentaurusA
24-2-2015 (pre-second supernova detection)
Remote access
Siding Spring Observatory (Australia)
Planewave 27" CDK700WF
FLI PLO09000
L = 3x300 bin1
R = 1x180 bin2
G = 1x180 bin2
B = 1x180 bin2
NGC 5128 is a galaxy bisected by a prominent dust lane. It is a radio emission galaxy with an active nucleus. It may be the result of two merged galaxies.
It is located just 4° from Omega Centauri.
Object Details:
Centaurus A, NGC 5128, C77, PGC 46947, Hamburger Galaxy.
Constellation: Centaurus.
Visual magnitude: +6.6
Apparent diameter: 26 x 20.0 arc-min. (slightly smaller than the Moon).
Actual diameter: 90,000 light years.
Distance: 12 million light years.
Image:
Exposure: 40 minutes
Date: 2018-05-02
Location: Leumeah, NSW.
Sky: outer suburban.
Cloud: no
Moon: Full Moon +2 days
Image acquisition software: SharpCap.
Image post-processing: Deep Sky Stacker > GIMP.
Cropping: not sure now.
Gear:
Imaging telescope: Skywatcher Esprit 120ED Super APO triplet refractor.
Focal length: 840 mm, focal ratio: f/7.
Telescope mount: SkyWatcher EQ6-R.
Field flattener: yes; filter: no.
Imaging camera: ZWO ASI 071 MC Pro
Polar aligning method: QHYCCD PoleMaster.
Polar alignment error: 2.7’ (PHD Guide Assistant).
Guiding: 1.0” > 1.2” RMS
SharpCap Camera Settings:
[ZWO ASI071MC Pro]
Debayer Preview=On
Pan=0
Tilt=0
Output Format=Fits files (*.fits)
Binning=2
Capture Area=4944×3284
Colour Space=RAW8
Hardware Binning=Off
Turbo USB=80(Auto)
Flip=None
Frame Rate Limit=Maximum
Gain=300(Auto)
Exposure=30
Timestamp Frames=Off
White Bal (B)=99(Auto)
White Bal (R)=35(Auto)
Brightness=44
Gamma=61
Temperature=15.5
Cooler Power=100
Target Temperature=-10
Cooler=On
Auto Exp Max Gain=300
Auto Exp Max Exp M S=30000
Auto Exp Target Brightness=100
Mono Bin=Off
Anti Dew Heater=On
Apply Flat=None
Subtract Dark=None
Display Brightness=1
Display Contrast=1
Display Gamma=1
TimeStamp=2018-05-02T12:29:16.4152528Z
Also known as Centaurus A galaxy.
40 mission on the Chile 2 telescope at Slooh.com.
Processed in PixInsight.
Mount: SW HEQ5-Pro
Telescope :Takahasi FSQ85
Camera: ZWO AS183MM GT Pro ZWO LRGB filters
90 min for L
RGB - 1.5 h (0.5 h per chanel)
take 03/24-25-26/2017, SW 200mm f5, MPCC, Canon T3 (MOD), Heq5 pro, 75x180". Observatório Mantiqueira.
A wide field image of Centaurus A (C77 and NGC5128) taken at Waikari (Bortle 2) in Canterbury New Zealand over the night of 29 to 30 March 2025. The dust lane through the galaxy has led to it being called the Hamburger Galaxy. Visible also are the smaller surrounding galaxies down to 14th magnitude.
Centaurus A, in the constellation of Centaurus, is the fifth-brightest galaxy in the sky. Located 11 million light-years from earth and spanning over 60,000 light-years across, our view of Centaurus A is the result of a collision of two galaxies. The centre of the galaxy contains a massive black hole.
The galaxy was discovered in 1826 by Scottish astronomer James Dunlop from his home in Australia, and is only visible from the southern hemisphere and low northern latitudes.
In total 150 frames of 3 minutes each were taken between 9.00 pm and 5.15 am for a total of 7.5 hours of data. 132 frames were stacked for this image as the last frames were discarded as a thin layer of cloud came in.
ZWO ASI2600MC camera with EAF focuser, Askar FRA400 refractor on iOptron CEM40 mount. No guiding. Capture greatly helped by ZWO ASIair Pro which allowed me to monitor over WIFI while I was warm in the camper. Processed using Deep Sky Stacker, GraXpert, Siril, and Photoshop. Cropped slightly to give a field of view 3 degrees x 2 degrees.
Thank you for choosing this photo for Explore on April 1, 2025.
Thanks also to everyone that has viewed, faved, and commented on this image.
At the center of the Centaurus A galaxy is a supermassive black hole that sends enormous jets out into space, which are detected by Chandra. X-rays from Chandra (red, green, blue) and IXPE (red, green, and blue); optical from ESO/MPG 2.2m (red, green, and blue)
Visual Description:
In this composite image, a supermassive black hole at the center of the Centaurus A galaxy shoots an enormous jet of particles into a star-packed sky. Here, Centaurus A resembles an inky purple cloud sitting atop a translucent red cloud. At the heart of the combined cloud structure is the black hole, a brilliant white dot that lights the clouds from within. The jet emerges from this dot, a speckled white and purple beam shooting toward our upper left. Surrounding the entire galaxy is a faint translucent blue bubble shape, which is most pronounced at our lower right. This bubble was created by the jets from the black hole. Both the jets and the bubble are detected by Chandra.
Credit: X-ray: (Chandra) NASA/CXC/SAO, (IXPE) NASA/MSFC; Optical: ESO; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/K. Arcand, J. Major, and J. Schmidt
#NASAMarshall #NASA #astrophysics #NASAChandra #NASA #ESA
This frame was taken with clear filter without dual narrow band filter. Focus got off in longer exposure frames.
Equipment: Sigma 35mmF1.4 DG HSM Art, IDAS Clear Filter, and EOS R6-SP5, modified by Seo San on ZWO AM5 Equatorial Mount, autoguided with Fujinon 1:2.8/75mm C-Mount Lens, Pentax x2 Extender, ZWO ASI 120MM-mini, and PHD2 Guiding
Exposure: 4 times x 60 seconds, 5 x 240 sec, and 12 times x 600 seconds at ISO 1,600 and f/3.2
site: 2,430m above sea level at lat. 24 38 55 South and long. 70 16 52 West near Cerro Armazones Chile
SQML was 21.55 at the night. Ambient temperature was around 6 degrees Celsius or 43 degrees Fahrenheit.
This is thought to be a merger between an old large elliptical galaxy and a smaller, younger dusty spiral galaxy.
Measurements of star velocities in the two components give very different values consistent with different origins.
In addition, you can just see in this image, a fuzzy bright edge at the upper right hand edge of the upper dust channel. These are clusters of bright blue young stars consistent with recent “starburst” activity as cold molecular gas is compressed by the gravitational tidal forces of the merger.
The Centaurus “A” designation means this is a strong radio source- two enormous jets spew out particles at relativistic speeds from an active galactic nucleus centred on a supermassive black hole (visible in radio and UV). As the jets, impinge on the intergalactic medium of dust and gas, radio emission occurs.
This image is an integration of 20x5 subs taken on iTelescope T63 in Bathurst, Australia.