NASA Marshall Photo # CXO_CenA.jpg
A Chandra X-ray image of Centaurus A.
At a distance of 11 million light years from Earth, Centaurus A or NGC 5128, is the nearest example of a type of galaxy called an active galaxy. It is a large, elliptically shaped galaxy that shows evidence of repeated explosions, probably from a supermassive black hole in the center of the galaxy. Radio and Chandra X-ray images of the galaxy show a jet of high-energy particles blasting out from the center. Because of its unusual nature and proximity, it is one of the most extensively studied galaxies in the Southern Hemisphere.
PHOTO CREDIT: NASA/CXC/SAO
