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.

                               2021 January 17

                    Jets from Unusual Galaxy Centaurus A
       Image Credit: ESO/WFI (visible); MPIfR/ESO/APEX/A. Weiss et al.
              (microwave); NASA/CXC/CfA/R. Kraft et al. (X-ray)

   Explanation: The jets emanating from Centaurus A are over a million
   light years long. These jets of streaming plasma, expelled by a giant
   black hole in the center of this spiral galaxy, light up this composite
   image of Cen A. Exactly how the central black hole expels infalling
   matter remains unknown. After clearing the galaxy, however, the jets
   inflate large radio bubbles that likely glow for millions of years. If
   energized by a passing gas cloud, the radio bubbles can even light up
   again after billions of years. X-ray light is depicted in the featured
   composite image in blue, while microwave light is colored orange. The
   base of the jet in radio light shows details of the innermost light
   year of the central jet.

                       Tomorrow's picture: brain star
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                             & Michigan Tech. U.

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