| NGC 5128 - Centaurus A* (Galaxy) Caldwell: 77, Constellation: Centaurus (The Centaur), Equatorial 2000: RA: 13h 25m 29s Dec: -43°00'58"m Galaxy Type: Elliptical, Distance: 11 million light years, Visual Magnitude: 6.6, Diameter: 17x13 arc mins Transits at the end of twilight at 6:52pm 4 July, Elevation 79 degrees, due South |
| LRGB | B&W | B&W Wide View |
 |
Centaurus A is one of the most studied objects in the Southern sky because it is the closest elliptical galaxy to our own Milky Way. It lies 11 million light years away, and is believed to have merged with another galaxy about 200 to 700 million years ago. The result of this galactic collision is the birth of hundreds of thousands of stars in a kiloparsec-spanning ring near the core. Centaurus A is believed to house a supermassive black hole that has the mass of 200 million Suns at its core, evidenced by the radio emissions streaming out from the galaxy. |
| - Imaged on 20100609 |