Centaurus A (also known as NGC 5128 or Caldwell 77) is a galaxy in the constellation of Centaurus. The center of the galaxy contains a supermassive black hole with a mass of 55 million solar masses, 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.
| Object | NGC5128 Centaurus A Galaxy |
| Constellation: | Centaurus |
| Position: | RA 13h 35m 22s Dec -43° 01' 09'' |
| Apparent Size: | 26 x 20 arcmins |
| Apparent Magnitude: | 6.8 |
| Distance in light years: | 11-13 Mly |
| Photo Data | |
| Date: | 30.3.2023 - 30.12.2024 |
| Location: |
El Sauce Observatory Chile (2500m ASL) GPS: 47°36’13“ N, 10°11’24“ E |
| Telescope: | CHI-1-CMOS: Planewave CDK24 610 mm, f/d 6.5/3962mm |
| Camera: | QHY 600M Pro, 3.76μm, 9576 x 6382px, Bin-2 4788x3191px, @ T sensor = -15°C |
| Field of View: | 31x21 arcmins |
| Pixel Scale/Resolution: | 0.19 arcsec/px |
| Expose frames/times: | L 41x300s, R 42x300s, G 42x300s, B 41x300s Ha 72x300s |
| Total expose: | 19h 50min |
| Filter: | Astrodon Luminance, Red, Green, Blue, Ha |
| Mount: | Mathis MI-1000/1250 with absolute encoders |
| Software: | Siril 1.4, Photoshop CC |
| Remarks: |
© 2025 Peter Cerveny