Subj : Daily APOD Report
To   : All
From : Alan Ianson
Date : Wed Dec 11 2024 01:15:48

                        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.

                              2024 December 11
     A galaxy is seen in the center of the image. Faint shells are seen
    around it. A red-colored jet is seen emanating from the galaxy toward
        the lower right. Please see the explanation for more detailed
                                information.

                  The Shells and Jets of Galaxy Centaurus A
                          Image Credit: Rolf Olsen

   Explanation: What's the closest active galaxy to planet Earth? That
   would be Centaurus A, cataloged as NGC 5128, which is only 12 million
   light-years distant. Forged in a collision of two otherwise normal
   galaxies, Centaurus A shows several distinctive features including a
   dark dust lane across its center, outer shells of stars and gas, and
   jets of particles shooting out from a supermassive black hole at its
   center. The featured image captures all of these in a composite series
   of visible light images totaling over 310 hours captured over the past
   10 years with a homebuilt telescope operating in Auckland, New Zealand.
   The brightness of Cen A's center from low-energy radio waves to
   high-energy gamma rays underlies its designation as an active galaxy.

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                       Tomorrow's picture: open space
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

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