July 12, 2018
The universe does not repeat itself. Every sunrise is unique, every snowflake singular, and every birthday yours alone.
Centaurus A
Birthday · July 12, 2018
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APOD published July 12, 2018. Credit: CEDIC Team. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
Only 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, left over 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 radio, X-ray, and gamma-ray energy radiated by Centaurus A.
Image credit: CEDIC Team