NGC 5128,[1] Arp 153,[1] PGC 46957,[1] 4U 1322–42,[11] Caldwell 77
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. There is considerable debate in the literature regarding the galaxy's fundamental properties such as its Hubble type (lenticular galaxy or a giant elliptical galaxy)[9] and distance (11–13 million light-years).[2][3][4][5][6] NGC 5128 is one of the closest radio galaxies to Earth, so its active galactic nucleus has been extensively studied by professional astronomers.[12] The galaxy is also the fifth-brightest in the sky,[12] making it an ideal amateur astronomy target.[13] It is only visible from the southern hemisphere and low northern latitudes.
The center of the galaxy contains a supermassive black hole with a mass of 55 million solar masses,[14] which ejects a relativistic jet that is responsible for emissions in the X-ray and radio wavelengths. By taking radio observations of the jet separated by a decade, astronomers have determined that the inner parts of the jet are moving at about half of the speed of light. X-rays are produced farther out as the jet collides with surrounding gases, resulting in the creation of highly energetic particles. The X-ray jets of Centaurus A are thousands of light-years long, while the radio jets are over a million light-years long.[15]
As in other starburst galaxies, a galactic collision is suspected to be responsible for an intense burst of star formation. Models have suggested that Centaurus A was a large elliptical galaxy that collided with a smaller spiral galaxy, with which it will eventually merge.[16] For that reason, the galaxy has been of particular interest to astronomers for years. While collisions of spiral galaxies are relatively common, the effects of a collision between an elliptical and a spiral galaxy are not fully understood.[17]
^ abcdefgh"NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database". Results for Centaurus A. Retrieved 6 December 2006.
^ abJ. L. Tonry; A. Dressler; J. P. Blakeslee; E. A. Ajhar; et al. (2001). "The SBF Survey of Galaxy Distances. IV. SBF Magnitudes, Colors, and Distances". Astrophysical Journal. 546 (2): 681–693. arXiv:astro-ph/0011223. Bibcode:2001ApJ...546..681T. doi:10.1086/318301. S2CID 17628238.
^ ab"Distance Results for NGC 5128". NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
^ abCite error: The named reference ferrarese07 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ abCite error: The named reference majaess10 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ abCite error: The named reference harris10 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"NAME Centaurus A". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 29 November 2009.
^Armando, Gil de Paz; Boissier; Madore; Seibert; Boselli; et al. (2007). "The GALEX Ultraviolet Atlas of Nearby Galaxies". Astrophysical Journal Supplement. 173 (2): 185–255. arXiv:astro-ph/0606440. Bibcode:2007ApJS..173..185G. doi:10.1086/516636. S2CID 119085482.
^ abCite error: The named reference harris10b was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"APOD: 2012 April 4 – Centaurus A". apod.nasa.gov. Archived from the original on 3 October 2014.
^"UHURU4 – Uhuru Fourth (4U) Catalog". heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov.
^ abF. P. Israel (1998). "Centaurus A – NGC 5128". Astronomy and Astrophysics Review. 8 (4): 237–278. arXiv:astro-ph/9811051. Bibcode:1998A&ARv...8..237I. doi:10.1007/s001590050011. S2CID 18353347.
^D. J. Eicher (1988). The Universe from Your Backyard. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-36299-3.
^"Radio Telescopes Capture Best-Ever Snapshot of Black Hole Jets". NASA. 20 May 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
^Nemiroff, R.; Bonnell, J., eds. (13 April 2011). "Centaurus Radio Jets Rising". Astronomy Picture of the Day. NASA. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
^Quillen, A. C.; Brookes, M. H.; Keene, J.; Stern, D.; Lawrence, C. R.; Werner, M. W. (2006). "Spitzer Observations of the Dusty Warped Disk of Centaurus A". Astrophysical Journal. 645 (2): 1092–1101. arXiv:astro-ph/0601135. Bibcode:2006ApJ...645.1092Q. doi:10.1086/504418. S2CID 18443587.
^"Radio galaxy Centaurus A". European Southern Observatory (ESO). 8 February 2000.
CentaurusA (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...
Centaurus /sɛnˈtɔːrəs, -ˈtɑːr-/ is a bright constellation in the southern sky. One of the largest constellations, Centaurus was included among the 48...
US$5 million. The Centaurus Mall has four levels and comprises more than 250 shops. The Centaurus Mall entertains in the form of a play area for children...
The Centaurus was the final development of the Bristol Engine Company's series of sleeve valve radial aircraft engines. The Centaurus is an 18-cylinder...
The Centaurus Cluster (A3526) is a cluster of hundreds of galaxies, located approximately 170 million light-years away in the Centaurus constellation...
Augosoma centaurus, the centaurus beetle, is a species of rhinoceros beetle found in tropical Africa, which measures about 40–90 mm. As common in many...
Scorpius–Centaurus association, the nearest OB association to the Sun. They are among the highest-mass stellar members of the Lower Centaurus–Crux subgroup...
USS Centaurus may refer to one of these two ships of the United States Navy named after the constellation Centaurus: USS Centaurus (AKA-17), launched on...
Far Centaurus is a science fiction short story by Canadian-American writer A. E. van Vogt, first published in Astounding Science Fiction in 1944. Writer...
This is the list of notable stars in the constellation Centaurus, sorted by decreasing brightness. List of stars by constellation Kostjuk erroneously...
The Centaurus Mall Citadel 7 Building HBL Pakistan building Islamabad Stock Exchange building Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metrobus in Blue Area The Centaurus Mall...
Hydra–Centaurus Supercluster the Great Attractor, Laniakea's central gravitational point near Norma Antlia Wall, known as Hydra Supercluster Centaurus Supercluster...
discovered in 1915 by Robert T. A. Innes, who suggested that it be named Proxima Centaurus, from Latin 'the nearest [star] of Centaurus'. The name Proxima Centauri...
related to Arhopala centaurus. Wikispecies has information related to Arhopala centaurus. R.K., Varshney; Smetacek, Peter (2015). A Synoptic Catalogue...
November 5, 2022. "Centaurus High School (2022-23 Ranking) - Lafayette, CO". Public School Review. Retrieved November 5, 2022. "Centaurus High School, Boulder...
bright stars form a pattern like a longshoreman's hook. Most of them are massive members of the nearest OB association: Scorpius–Centaurus. The star δ Sco...
Proxima Centauri is a small, low-mass star located 4.2465 light-years (1.3020 pc) away from the Sun in the southern constellation of Centaurus. Its Latin name...
Crisis on Centaurus is a 1986 Star Trek: The Original Series novel written by Brad Ferguson. On the planet Centaurus, the planetary capital of New Athens...
Centaurus II is a cruising catamaran designed by E.N. Maryanov in 1994. List of multihulls "Sailing catamaran CENTAURUS-II: Technical Details". v t e...
Tylomelania centaurus is a species of freshwater snail with an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Pachychilidae. This species occurs...