More Images: Centaurus A Shines in New Image from NASA's Chandra and IXPE
X-ray, Radio, & Optical Images of Centaurus A
Credit: X-ray: (IXPE): NASA/MSFC/IXPE/S. Ehlert et al.; (Chandra): NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: ESO/WFI; Image processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J.Schmidt
The galaxy Centaurus A (Cen A) shines bright in these images showing data from multiple observatories. In the center of this galaxy is a supermassive black hole feeding off the gas and dust encircling it, and large jets of high-energy particles and other material spewing out. Colors in these images have been chosen to reflect the sources of data. X-ray light captured by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory is blue, X-ray light detected by NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) satellite is orange, and optical light seen by the European Southern Observatory in Chile is yellow (showing white and gray in the composite).
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Centaurus A Shines in New Image from NASA's Chandra and IXPE (May 2, 2023)