This false-color composite image shows the nearby galaxy Centaurus A, also known as NGC 5128, whose unusual shape is thought to result from the merger of a spiral and an elliptical galaxy.
ESO/WFI (optical); MPIfR/ESO/APEX/A. Weiss et al. (submillimeter); NASA/CXC/CfA/R. Kraft et al. (x-ray)
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This false-color composite image shows the nearby galaxy Centaurus A, also known as NGC 5128, whose unusual shape is thought to result from the merger of a spiral and an elliptical galaxy. The vast detail of the picture is made possible by merging data from three telescopes operating in three wavelengths: one in the x-ray, one in the optical and one in the relatively long-wavelength submillimeter realm. The radio jets emanating from the galaxy's center mark the location of a suspected supermassive black hole.
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