Centaurus A

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Centaurus A

Centaurus A (NGC 5128)

Observation data (J2000 epoch)

Constellation

Centaurus 13h 25m 27.6s[1] -43 01 09[1] 547 5 km/s[1]

Right ascension

Declination

Redshift

Distance

10-16 Mly (3-5 Mpc)[2][3][4][5][6] S0 pec[1] or Ep[7] 25.7 20.0[1]

Type

Apparent dimensions (V)

Apparent magnitude (V)

6.84[8][9]

Notable features

Unusual dust lane

Other designations NGC 5128,[1] Arp 153,[1] PGC 46957,[1] 4U 1322-42,[10] Caldwell 77 See also: Galaxy, List of galaxies

Centaurus A or NGC 5128 is a prominent 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)[7] and distance (10-16 million lightyears).[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.[11] The galaxy is also the fifth brightest in the sky,[11] making it an ideal amateur astronomy target,[12] although the galaxy is only visible from low northern latitudes and the southern hemisphere. The center of the galaxy contains a supermassive black hole with a weight equivalent to 55 million solar masses,[13] 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 one 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 radio jets of Centaurus A are over a million light years long.[14] Like other starburst galaxies, a collision is suspected to be responsible for the intense burst of star formation. Spitzer Space Telescope studies have confirmed that Centaurus A is colliding with and devouring a smaller spiral galaxy.[citation needed]

Contents

1 Morphology 2 Supernova 3 Distance 4 Nearby galaxies and galaxy group information 5 Amateur astronomy information 6 Gallery 7 See also 8 References

9 External links

Morphology
Centaurus A may be described as having a peculiar morphology. As seen from Earth, the galaxy looks like a lenticular or elliptical galaxy with a superimposed dust lane.[15] The peculiarity of this galaxy was first identified in 1847 by John Herschel, and the galaxy was included in the Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies (published in 1966) as one of the best examples of a "disturbed" galaxy with dust absorption.[16] The galaxy's strange morphology is generally recognized as the result of a merger between two smaller galaxies.[17] The bulge of this galaxy is composed mainly of evolved red stars.[15] The dusty disk, however, has been the site of more recent star formation;[11] over 100 star formation regions have been identified in the disk.[18]

Supernova
One supernova has been detected in Centaurus A.[19] The supernova, named SN 1986G, was discovered within the dark dust lane of the galaxy by R. Evans in 1986.[20] It was later identified as a type Ia supernova,[21] which forms when a white dwarf's mass grows large enough to ignite carbon fusion in its center, touching off a runaway thermonuclear reaction, as may happen when a white dwarf in a binary star system strips gas away from the other star. SN 1986G was used to demonstrate that the spectra of type Ia supernovae are not all identical, and that type Ia supernovae may differ in the way that they change in brightness over time.[21]

Distance
Distance estimates to NGC 5128 established since the 1980s typically range between 35 Mpc.[2][3][4][5][6][22] Classical Cepheids discovered in the heavily-obscured dust lane of NGC 5128 yield a distance between ~3-3.5 Mpc, depending on the nature of the extinction law adopted and other considerations.[4][5] Mira variables[22] and Type II Cepheids[4][5] were also discovered in NGC 5128, the latter being rarely detected beyond local group.[23] The distance to NGC 5128 established from several indicators such as Mira variables and planetary nebulae favour a more distant value of ~3.8 Mpc.[7][6]

Nearby galaxies and galaxy group information

Centaurus A is at the center of one of two subgroups within the Centaurus A/M83 Group, a nearby group of galaxies.[24] Messier 83 (the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy) is at the center of the other subgroup. These two groups are sometimes identified as one group[25][26] and sometimes identified as two groups.[27] However, the galaxies around Centaurus A and the galaxies around M83 are physically close to each other, and both subgroups appear not to be moving relative to each other.[28] The Centaurus A/M83 Group is located in the Virgo Supercluster.

Amateur astronomy information

Centaurus A is located approximately 4 north of Omega Centauri (a globular cluster visible with the naked eye).[12] Because the galaxy has a high surface brightness and relatively large angular size, it is an ideal target for amateur astronomy observations. The bright central bulge and dark dust lane are visible even in finderscopes and large binoculars,[12] and additional structure may be seen in larger telescopes.[12] Centaurus A is visible to the naked eye under exceptionally good conditions.[29]

Gallery

The radio galaxy Centaurus A, as seen by ALMA

Image taken by the Wide Field Imager attached to the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope at the La Silla Observatory.

"Hubble's panchromatic vision... reveals the vibrant glow of young, blue star clusters..."[30]

A Hubble Space Telescope (HST) image of the dust disk in front of the nucleus of Centaurus A. Credit: HST/NASA/ESA.

This image of the central parts of Centaurus A reveals the parallelogram-shaped remains of a smaller galaxy that was absorbed about 200 to 700 million years ago.

The heavily-obscured inner (barred?) spiral disk at 24 m as shown by the Spitzer IR telescope

Chandra X-Ray view of Cen A in X Rays showing one relativistic jet from the central black hole

A composite image showing the size of the radio glow from the galaxy Centaurus A in comparison to the full Moon.

Video about Centaurus A jets.

"False-colour image of the nearby radio galaxy Centaurus A, showing radio (red), 24micrometre infrared (green) and 0.5-5 keV X-ray emission (blue). The jet can be seen to emit synchrotron emission in all three wavebands. The lobes only emit in the radio frequency range, and so appear red. Gas and dust in the galaxy emits thermal radiation in the infrared. Thermal X-ray radiation from hot gas and non-thermal emission from relativistic electrons can be seen in the blue 'shells' around the lobes, particularly to the south (bottom)."[31]

See also

Messier 87 - a giant elliptical galaxy that is also a strong radio source NGC 1316 - a similar lenticular galaxy that is also a strong radio source

References
1. 2. ^ a b c d e f g h "NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database". Results for Centaurus A. Retrieved 200612-06. ^ a b c J. L. Tonry, A. Dressler, J. P. Blakeslee, E. A. Ajhar, A. B. Fletcher, G. A. Luppino, M. R. Metzger, C. B. Moore (2001). "The SBF Survey of Galaxy Distances. IV. SBF Magnitudes, Colors, and Distances". Astrophysical Journal 546 (2): 681693. arXiv:astro-ph/0011223. Bibcode:2001ApJ...546..681T. doi:10.1086/318301. ^ a b c "Distance Results for NGC 5128". NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database. Retrieved 201004-26. ^ a b c d e Ferrarese Laura, Mould Jeremy R., Stetson Peter B., Tonry John L., Blakeslee John P., Ajhar Edward A. (2007). "The Discovery of Cepheids and a Distance to NGC 5128". The Astrophysical Journal 654: 186. arXiv:astro-ph/0605707. Bibcode:2007ApJ...654..186F. doi:10.1086/506612. ^ a b c d e Majaess, D. (2010). "The Cepheids of Centaurus A (NGC 5128) and Implications for H0". Acta Astronomica 60: 121. arXiv:1006.2458. Bibcode:2010AcA....60..121M. ^ a b c d Harris, Gretchen L. H.; Rejkuba, Marina; Harris, William E. (2010). "The Distance to NGC 5128 (Centaurus A)". Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia 27 (4): 457 462. arXiv:0911.3180. Bibcode:2010PASA...27..457H. doi:10.1071/AS09061. ^ a b c Harris, Gretchen L. H. (2010). "NGC 5128: The Giant Beneath". Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia 27 (4): 475. arXiv:1004.4907. Bibcode:2010PASA...27..475H. doi:10.1071/AS09063. ^ "SIMBAD-A". SIMBAD Astronomical Database. Retrieved 2009-11-29. ^ Armando, Gil de Paz; Boissier; Madore; Seibert; Boselli et al. (2007). "The GALEX Ultraviolet Atlas of Nearby Galaxies". Astrophysical Journal Supplement 173 (2): 185255. arXiv:astro-ph/0606440. Bibcode:2007ApJS..173..185G. doi:10.1086/516636. ^ 4U catalog browse version. ^ a b c F. P. Israel (1998). "Centaurus A - NGC 5128". Astronomy and Astrophysics Review 8 (4): 237278. arXiv:astro-ph/9811051. Bibcode:1998A&ARv...8..237I. doi:10.1007/s001590050011. ^ a b c d D. J. Eicher (1988). The Universe from Your Backyard. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-36299-7. ^ "Radio Telescopes Capture Best-Ever Snapshot of Black Hole Jets". NASA. Retrieved 201210-02. ^ "Astronomy Picture of the Day - Centaurus Radio Jets Rising". NASA. 2011-04-13. Retrieved 2011-04-16.

3. 4.

5. 6.

7.

8. 9.

10. 11. 12. 13. 14.

15. ^ a b A. Sandage, J. Bedke (1994). Carnegie Atlas of Galaxies. Washington, D.C.: Carnegie Institution of Washington. ISBN 0-87279-667-1. 16. ^ H. Arp (1966). "Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies". Astrophysical Journal Supplement 14: 120. Bibcode:1966ApJS...14....1A. doi:10.1086/190147. 17. ^ W. Baade, R. Minkowski (1954). "On the Identification of Radio Sources". Astrophysical Journal 119: 215231. Bibcode:1954ApJ...119..215B. doi:10.1086/145813. 18. ^ P. W. Hodge, R. C. Kennicutt Jr. (1982). "An atlas of H II regions in 125 galaxies". Astrophysical Journal 88: 296328. Bibcode:1983AJ.....88..296H. doi:10.1086/113318. 19. ^ "NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database". Results for extended name search on Centaurus A. Retrieved 2007-03-07. 20. ^ R. Evans, R. H. McNaught, C. Humphries; McNaught; Humphries (1986). "Supernova 1986G in NGC 5128". IAU Circular 4208: 1. Bibcode:1986IAUC.4208....1E. 21. ^ a b M. M. Phillips, A. C. Phillips, S. R. Heathcote, V. M. Blanco, D. Geisler, D. Hamilton, N. B. Suntzeff, F. J. Jablonski, J. E. Steiner, A. P. Cowley, P. Schmidtke, S. Wyckoff, J. B. Hutchings, J. Tonry, M. A. Strauss, J. R. Thorstensen, W. Honey, J. Maza, M. T. Ruiz, A. U. Landolt, A. Uomoto, R. M. Rich, J. E. Grindlay, H. Cohn, H. A. Smith, J. H. Lutz, R. J. Lavery, A. Saha (1987). "The type 1a supernova 1986G in NGC 5128 - Optical photometry and spectra". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific 99: 592605. Bibcode:1987PASP...99..592P. doi:10.1086/132020. 22. ^ a b Rejkuba, M. (2004). "The distance to the giant elliptical galaxy NGC 5128". Astronomy and Astrophysics 413 (3): 903. arXiv:astro-ph/0310639. Bibcode:2004A&A...413..903R. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20034031. 23. ^ Majaess, D.; Turner; Lane (2009). "Type II Cepheids as Extragalactic Distance Candles". Acta Astronomica 59: 403. arXiv:0909.0181. Bibcode:2009AcA....59..403M. More than one of |author2= and |last2= specified (help); More than one of |author3= and |last3= specified (help) 24. ^ I. D. Karachentsev, M. E. Sharina, A. E. Dolphin, E. K. Grebel, D. Geisler, P. Guhathakurta, P. W. Hodge, V. E. Karachetseva, A. Sarajedini, P. Seitzer (2002). "New distances to galaxies in the Centaurus A group". Astronomy and Astrophysics 385 (1): 2131. Bibcode:2002A&A...385...21K. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20020042. 25. ^ R. B. Tully (1988). Nearby Galaxies Catalog. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-35299-1. 26. ^ P. Fouque, E. Gourgoulhon, P. Chamaraux, G. Paturel; Gourgoulhon; Chamaraux; Paturel (1992). "Groups of galaxies within 80 Mpc. II - The catalogue of groups and group members". Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement 93: 211233. Bibcode:1992A&AS...93..211F. 27. ^ A. Garcia (1993). "General study of group membership. II - Determination of nearby groups". Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement 100: 4790. Bibcode:1993A&AS..100...47G. 28. ^ I. D. Karachentsev (2005). "The Local Group and Other Neighboring Galaxy Groups". Astronomical Journal 129 (1): 178188. arXiv:astro-ph/0410065. Bibcode:2005AJ....129..178K. doi:10.1086/426368. 29. ^ http://astronomy-mall.com/Adventures.In.Deep.Space/aintno.htm 30. ^ "Firestorm of Star Birth in Galaxy Centaurus A". NASA. Retrieved 27 September 2012. 31. ^ Wikipedia editors. "Radio Galaxy". English Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Retrieved 25 November 2012.

STScI. Hubble Provides Multiple Views of How to Feed a Black Hole. Press release: Space Telescope Science Institute. March 14, 1998. Chandra X-Ray Observatory Photo Album Centaurus A Jet

External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Centaurus A

Helmut Steinle Centaurus A project SEDS: Peculiar Galaxy NGC 5128

ESA/Hubble images of Centaurus A NASA's APOD: The Galaxy Within Centaurus A (3/4/06) NASA's APOD: X-Rays from an Active Galaxy (7/5/03) High-resolution image of Centaurus A showing the discrete elements of galactic core Centaurus A at UniverseToday.com NGC5128 Centaurus A NGC 5128 at DOCdb (Deep Sky Observer's Companion) Centaurus A on WikiSky: DSS2, SDSS, GALEX, IRAS, Hydrogen , X-Ray, Astrophoto, Sky Map, Articles and images
13h 25m 27.6s, 43 01 09

Coordinates:

New General Catalogue 5000 to 5501

NGC 5000 NGC 5001 NGC 5002 NGC 5003 NGC 5004 NGC 5005 NGC 5006 NGC 5007 NGC 5008 NGC 5009 NGC 5010 NGC 5011 NGC 5012 NGC 5013 NGC 5014 NGC 5015 NGC 5016 NGC 5017 NGC 5018 NGC 5019 NGC 5020 NGC 5021

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NGC 5086 NGC 5087 NGC 5088 NGC 5089 NGC 5090 NGC 5091 NGC 5092 NGC 5093 NGC 5094 NGC 5095 NGC 5096 NGC 5097 NGC 5098 NGC 5099 NGC 5100 NGC 5101 NGC 5102 NGC 5103 NGC 5104 NGC 5105 NGC 5106 NGC 5107 NGC 5108 NGC 5109 NGC 5110 NGC 5111 NGC 5112 NGC 5113 NGC 5114 NGC 5115 NGC 5116 NGC 5117

NGC 5118 NGC 5119 NGC 5120 NGC 5121 NGC 5122 NGC 5123 NGC 5124 NGC 5125 NGC 5126 NGC 5127 NGC 5128 NGC 5129 NGC 5130 NGC 5131 NGC 5132 NGC 5133 NGC 5134 NGC 5135 NGC 5136 NGC 5137 NGC 5138 NGC 5139 NGC 5140 NGC 5141 NGC 5142 NGC 5143 NGC 5144 NGC 5145 NGC 5146 NGC 5147 NGC 5148 NGC 5149

NGC 5150 NGC 5151 NGC 5152 NGC 5153 NGC 5154 NGC 5155 NGC 5156 NGC 5157 NGC 5158 NGC 5159 NGC 5160 NGC 5161 NGC 5162 NGC 5163 NGC 5164 NGC 5165 NGC 5166 NGC 5167 NGC 5168 NGC 5169 NGC 5170 NGC 5171 NGC 5172 NGC 5173 NGC 5174 NGC 5175 NGC 5176 NGC 5177 NGC 5178 NGC 5179 NGC 5180 NGC 5181

NGC 5182 NGC 5183 NGC 5184 NGC 5185 NGC 5186 NGC 5187 NGC 5188 NGC 5189 NGC 5190 NGC 5191 NGC 5192 NGC 5193 NGC 5194 NGC 5195 NGC 5196 NGC 5197 NGC 5198 NGC 5199 NGC 5200 NGC 5201 NGC 5202 NGC 5203 NGC 5204 NGC 5205 NGC 5206 NGC 5207 NGC 5208 NGC 5209 NGC 5210 NGC 5211 NGC 5212 NGC 5213

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NGC 5246 NGC 5247 NGC 5248 NGC 5249 NGC 5250 NGC 5251 NGC 5252 NGC 5253 NGC 5254 NGC 5255 NGC 5256 NGC 5257 NGC 5258 NGC 5259 NGC 5260 NGC 5261 NGC 5262 NGC 5263 NGC 5264 NGC 5265 NGC 5266 NGC 5267 NGC 5268 NGC 5269 NGC 5270 NGC 5271 NGC 5272 NGC 5273 NGC 5274 NGC 5275 NGC 5276 NGC 5277

NGC 5278 NGC 5279 NGC 5280 NGC 5281 NGC 5282 NGC 5283 NGC 5284 NGC 5285 NGC 5286 NGC 5287 NGC 5288 NGC 5289 NGC 5290 NGC 5291 NGC 5292 NGC 5293 NGC 5294 NGC 5295 NGC 5296 NGC 5297 NGC 5298 NGC 5299 NGC 5300 NGC 5301 NGC 5302 NGC 5303 NGC 5304 NGC 5305 NGC 5306 NGC 5307 NGC 5308 NGC 5309

NGC 5310 NGC 5311 NGC 5312 NGC 5313 NGC 5314 NGC 5315 NGC 5316 NGC 5317 NGC 5318 NGC 5319 NGC 5320 NGC 5321 NGC 5322 NGC 5323 NGC 5324 NGC 5325 NGC 5326 NGC 5327 NGC 5328 NGC 5329 NGC 5330 NGC 5331 NGC 5332 NGC 5333 NGC 5334 NGC 5335 NGC 5336 NGC 5337 NGC 5338 NGC 5339 NGC 5340 NGC 5341

NGC 5342 NGC 5343 NGC 5344 NGC 5345 NGC 5346 NGC 5347 NGC 5348 NGC 5349 NGC 5350 NGC 5351 NGC 5352 NGC 5353 NGC 5354 NGC 5355 NGC 5356 NGC 5357 NGC 5358 NGC 5359 NGC 5360 NGC 5361 NGC 5362 NGC 5363 NGC 5364 NGC 5365 NGC 5366 NGC 5367 NGC 5368 NGC 5369 NGC 5370 NGC 5371 NGC 5372 NGC 5373

NGC 5374 NGC 5375 NGC 5376 NGC 5377 NGC 5378 NGC 5379 NGC 5380 NGC 5381 NGC 5382 NGC 5383 NGC 5384 NGC 5385 NGC 5386 NGC 5387 NGC 5388 NGC 5389 NGC 5390 NGC 5391 NGC 5392 NGC 5393 NGC 5394 NGC 5395 NGC 5396 NGC 5397 NGC 5398 NGC 5399 NGC 5400 NGC 5401 NGC 5402 NGC 5403 NGC 5404 NGC 5405

NGC 5406 NGC 5407 NGC 5408 NGC 5409 NGC 5410 NGC 5411 NGC 5412 NGC 5413 NGC 5414 NGC 5415 NGC 5416 NGC 5417 NGC 5418 NGC 5419 NGC 5420 NGC 5421 NGC 5422 NGC 5423 NGC 5424 NGC 5425 NGC 5426 NGC 5427 NGC 5428 NGC 5429 NGC 5430 NGC 5431 NGC 5432 NGC 5433 NGC 5434 NGC 5435 NGC 5436 NGC 5437

NGC 5438 NGC 5439 NGC 5440 NGC 5441 NGC 5442 NGC 5443 NGC 5444 NGC 5445 NGC 5446 NGC 5447 NGC 5448 NGC 5449 NGC 5450 NGC 5451 NGC 5452 NGC 5453 NGC 5454 NGC 5455 NGC 5456 NGC 5457 NGC 5458 NGC 5459 NGC 5460 NGC 5461 NGC 5462 NGC 5463 NGC 5464 NGC 5465 NGC 5466 NGC 5467 NGC 5468 NGC 5469

NGC 5470 NGC 5471 NGC 5472 NGC 5473 NGC 5474 NGC 5475 NGC 5476 NGC 5477 NGC 5478 NGC 5479 NGC 5480 NGC 5481 NGC 5482 NGC 5483 NGC 5484 NGC 5485 NGC 5486 NGC 5487 NGC 5488 NGC 5489 NGC 5490 NGC 5491 NGC 5492 NGC 5493 NGC 5494 NGC 5495 NGC 5496 NGC 5497 NGC 5498 NGC 5499 NGC 5500

NGC 5501

Astronomical catalog List of NGC objects

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Centaurus_A&oldid=559523266" Categories:

Lenticular galaxies Peculiar galaxies Radio galaxies Starburst galaxies Centaurus A/M83 Group Centaurus (constellation) NGC objects PGC objects Arp objects Caldwell objects

Source Material: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centaurus_A