Images by Date
Images by Category
Solar System
Stars
Exoplanets
White Dwarfs
Supernovas
Neutron Stars
Black Holes
Milky Way Galaxy
Normal Galaxies
Quasars
Galaxy Clusters
Cosmology/Deep Field
Miscellaneous
Images by Interest
Space Scoop for Kids
Multiwavelength
Sky Map
Constellations
Photo Blog
Top Rated Images
Image Handouts
Desktops
Fits Files
Visual descriptions
Image Tutorials
Photo Album Tutorial
False Color
Cosmic Distance
Look-Back Time
Scale & Distance
Angular Measurement
Images & Processing
AVM/Metadata
Image Use Policy
Web Shortcuts
Chandra Blog
RSS Feed
Image Use Policy
Questions & Answers
Glossary of Terms
Centaurus A: A New Look at an Old Friend
Visual Description:

  • A new Chandra image of Centaurus A, famous for its gargantuan jet, has been released.

  • The data in this image were taken from Chandra's archive and are equivalent to over 9 and half days of observations.

  • In this image, red, green, and blue show low, medium, and high-energy X-rays.

  • Archived data also allow for ongoing scientific studies, including new results on the black holes and neutron stars in Centaurus A.

Just weeks after NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory began operations in 1999, the telescope pointed at Centaurus A (Cen A, for short). This galaxy, at a distance of about 12 million light years from Earth, contains a gargantuan jet blasting away from a central supermassive black hole.

Since then, Chandra has returned its attention to this galaxy, each time gathering more data. And, like an old family photo that has been digitally restored, new processing techniques are providing astronomers with a new look at this old galactic friend.

This new image of Cen A contains data from observations, equivalent to over nine and a half days worth of time, taken between 1999 and 2012. In this image, the lowest-energy X-rays Chandra detects are in red, while the medium-energy X-rays are green, and the highest-energy ones are blue.

As in all of Chandra's images of Cen A, this one shows the spectacular jet of outflowing material - seen pointing from the middle to the upper left - that is generated by the giant black hole at the galaxy's center. This new high-energy snapshot of Cen A also highlights a dust lane that wraps around the waist of the galaxy. Astronomers think this feature is a remnant of a collision that Cen A experienced with a smaller galaxy millions of years ago.

The data housed in Chandra's extensive archive on Cen A provide a rich resource for a wide range of scientific investigations. For example, researchers published findings in 2013 on the point-like X-ray sources in Cen A. Most of these sources are systems where a compact object - either a black hole or a neutron star - is pulling gas from an orbiting companion star. These compact objects form by the collapse of massive stars, with black holes resulting from heavier stars than neutron stars.

The results suggested that nearly all of the compact objects had masses that fell into two categories: either less than twice that of the Sun, or more than five times as massive as the Sun. These two groups correspond to neutron stars and black holes.

This mass gap may tell us about the way massive stars explode. Scientists expect an upper limit on the most massive neutron stars, up to twice the mass of the Sun. What is puzzling is that the smallest black holes appear to weigh in at about five times the mass of the Sun. Stars are observed to have a continual range of masses, and so in terms of their progeny's weight we would expect black holes to carry on where neutron stars left off.

Although this mass gap between neutron stars and black holes has been seen in our galaxy, the Milky Way, this new Cen A result provides the first hints that the gap occurs in more distant galaxies. If it turns out to be ubiquitous, it may mean that a special, rapid type of stellar collapse is required in some supernova explosions.

The results described here were published in the April 1st, 2013 issue of The Astrophysical Journal and are available online. Mark Burke led the work when he was at the University of Birmingham in the UK and he is now at L'Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planetologie in Toulouse, France. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., manages the Chandra program for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Mass., controls Chandra's science and flight operations.

Visual Description:

The Chandra X-ray Observatory image of Centaurus A (or Cen A) offers a sparkling view of an active galaxy that has a lit-from-within looking glow. At the center of the image, there is a bright, white source with a complex network of filaments and structures around it appearing in shades of blue, teal, gold and rust with pops of white. The structures are reminiscent of spider webs. In the background of the image, there are numerous tiny points of light against the dark backdrop of space. This image of Cen A contains data from observations, equivalent to over nine and a half days worth of time, taken between 1999 and 2012. The lowest-energy X-rays Chandra detects are in red, while the medium-energy X-rays are green, and the highest-energy ones are blue. As in all of Chandra's images of Cen A, this one shows the spectacular jet of outflowing material - seen pointing from the middle to the upper left moving towards 10 o'clock - that is generated by the giant black hole at the galaxy's center. This high-energy snapshot of Cen A also highlights a dust lane that wraps around the waist of the galaxy. Astronomers think this feature is a remnant of a collision that Cen A experienced with a smaller galaxy millions of years ago.

 

Fast Facts for Centaurus A:
Credit  X-ray: NASA/CXC/U.Birmingham/M.Burke et al.
Release Date  February 6, 2014
Scale  Image is about 16.7 arcmin across (about 58,000 light years across)
Category  Quasars & Active Galaxies
Coordinates (J2000)  RA 13h 25m 27.62s | Dec -43° 01´ 08.80"
Constellation  Centaurus
Observation Date  21 pointings between 05 Dec 1999 and 29 Aug 2012
Observation Time  229 hours 57 min (9 days 13 hours 57 min).
Obs. ID  316, 962, 2978, 3965, 7797-7799, 7800, 8489, 8490, 10722, 10723, 10724-10726, 11846, 11847, 12155, 12156, 13303, 13304
Instrument  ACIS
Also Known As Cen A, NGC 5128
References Burke, M. et al. 2013, ApJ, 766, 88; arXiv:1302.0851
Color Code  X-ray (Red, Green, Blue)
X-ray
Distance Estimate  About 11 million light years
distance arrow
Rate This Image

  • Currently 3.85/5
Rating: 3.8/5
(651 votes cast)
Download & Share

Desktops

1024x768 - 529.1 kb
1280x1024 - 762.2 kb
1680x1050 - 933.2 kb
More Information
Blog: Centaurus A
More Images
X-ray Image of Centaurus A
Jpg, Tif
X-ray

More Images
Animation & Video
A New Look at an Old Friend
animation

More Animations
More Releases
Centaurus A
Centaurus A
(08 May 25)

Centaurus A
Centaurus A
(22 Jul 24)

Centaurus A
Centaurus A
(02 May 23)

Centaurus A
Centaurus A
(23 Apr 14)

Centaurus A
Centaurus A
(30 Jan 09)

Centaurus A
Centaurus A
(09 Jan 08)

Centaurus A
Centaurus A
(06 Aug 01)

Centaurus A
Centaurus A
(25 Oct 99)

Related Images
M87
M87
(18 Aug 10)
Centaurus A Jet
Centaurus A Jet
(23 Apr 03)


Related Information
Related Podcast
Top Rated Images
RACS J0320-35
  • Currently 4.39/5
MSH 15-52
  • Currently 4.18/5
Cassiopeia A
  • Currently 4.07/5



FaceBookTwitterYouTubeFlickr