Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2020 February 22
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                             Central Centaurus A
        Image Credit: [3]NASA, [4]ESA, [5]Hubble Heritage ([6]STScI/
                      [7]AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration

   Explanation: A mere 11 million light-years away, [8]Centaurus A is the
   closest [9]active galaxy to planet Earth. Also known [10]as NGC 5128,
   the peculiar elliptical galaxy is over 60,000 light-years across. A
   region spanning about 8,500 light-years, including the galaxy's center
   (upper left), is framed in this sharp [11]Hubble Space telescope
   close-up. Centaurus A is apparently the result of a collision of two
   otherwise normal galaxies resulting in a violent jumble of star forming
   regions, massive star clusters, and imposing dark dust lanes. Near the
   [12]galaxy's center, left over cosmic debris is steadily being consumed
   by a central black hole with a billion times the mass of the Sun.
   [13]As in other active galaxies, that process likely generates the
   radio, X-ray, and gamma-ray energy [14]radiated by Centaurus A.

                   Tomorrow's picture: simulated Universe
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    Authors & editors: [26]Robert Nemiroff ([27]MTU) & [28]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([29]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [30]Specific rights apply.
              [31]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [32]ASD at [33]NASA / [34]GSFC
                           & [35]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2002/CenA_hst.jpg
   3. http://www.nasa.gov/
   4. http://www.spacetelescope.org/
   5. http://heritage.stsci.edu/
   6. http://www.stsci.edu/portal/
   7. http://www.aura-astronomy.org/
   8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centaurus_A
   9. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_galactic_nucleus
  10. http://messier.seds.org/xtra/ngc/n5128.html
  11. https://hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/2011/news-2011-18.html
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap060304.html
  13. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/nasas-fermi-mission-finds-hints-of-gamma-ray-cycle-in-an-active-galaxy
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080110.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200221.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  19. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  24. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=200222
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200223.html
  26. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  27. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  28. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  29. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  31. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  32. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  33. https://www.nasa.gov/
  34. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  35. http://www.mtu.edu/