                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    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.

                                2022 March 17

                                 Centaurus A
                 Image Credit & Copyright: David Alemazkour

   Explanation: A mere 11 million light-years away, Centaurus A is the
   closest active galaxy to planet Earth. Spanning over 60,000
   light-years, the peculiar elliptical galaxy also known as NGC 5128, is
   featured in this sharp telescopic view. Centaurus A is apparently the
   result of a collision of two otherwise normal galaxies resulting in a
   fantastic jumble of star clusters and imposing dark dust lanes. Near
   the galaxy's center, leftover cosmic debris is steadily being consumed
   by a central black hole with a billion times the mass of the Sun. As in
   other active galaxies, that process likely generates the enormous
   radio, X-ray, and gamma-ray energy radiated by Centaurus A.

                     Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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