The giant elliptical galaxy Centaurus A (NGC 5128) and its strange globular clusters
This huge elliptical galaxy NGC 5128 (also known as Centaurus A) is the closest such galaxy to the Earth, at a distance of about 12 million light-years. Observations with ESO’s Very Large Telescope in Chile have discovered a new class of “dark” globular star clusters around this galaxy. These are marked in red. Normal globulars are marked in blue and globulars showing similar properties to dwarf galaxies are in green. The dark globulars appear very similar to other globulars around this galaxy but contain much more mass.
Credit:ESO/Digitized Sky Survey. Acknowledgement: Davide de Martin
About the Image
| Id: | eso1519a |
| Type: | Observation |
| Release date: | 13 May 2015, 12:00 |
| Related releases: | eso1519 |
| Size: | 3514 x 2586 px |
About the Object
| Name: | Centaurus A |
| Type: | Local Universe : Star : Grouping : Cluster : Globular Local Universe : Galaxy : Type : Elliptical |
| Distance: | 12 million light years |
| Constellation: | Centaurus |
| Category: | Galaxies |
Wallpapers
Coordinates
| Position (RA): | 13 25 32.01 |
| Position (Dec): | -43° 1' 35.69" |
| Field of view: | 59.68 x 43.92 arcminutes |
| Orientation: | North is 1.7° right of vertical |
View in WorldWide Telescope:
Colours & filters
| Band | Telescope |
|---|---|
| Optical B | MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope WFI |
| Optical B | Digitized Sky Survey 2 |
| Optical [OIII] | MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope WFI |
| Optical V | MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope WFI |
| Optical R | Digitized Sky Survey 2 |
| Optical R | MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope WFI |
| Optical H-alpha | MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope WFI |
| Infrared I | Digitized Sky Survey 2 |