March 13, 2010
In the time it took you to read this, the Earth moved another thousand miles through space. You are not standing still. You never have been.
Centaurus A
Birthday · March 13, 2010
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APOD published March 13, 2010. Credit: Tim Carruthers. 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 color image. 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: Tim Carruthers