{"id":191612,"date":"2026-07-08T14:18:54","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T19:48:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=191612"},"modified":"2026-07-08T14:18:54","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T19:48:54","slug":"webb-reveals-hidden-heart-of-centaurus-a","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=191612","title":{"rendered":"Webb Reveals Hidden Heart of Centaurus A"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n Celebrating four years of science, the NASA\/ESA\/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has pierced the thick dust of the giant galaxy Centaurus A to reveal its active core, intricate dust lanes and millions of stars that illuminate the aftermath of an ancient galactic collision.<\/strong><\/p>\n
\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

The ground-based image of Centaurus A from ESO (top left) puts the near-infrared and mid-infrared views from Webb into context. Image credit: ESO \/ NASA \/ ESA \/ CSA \/ STScI \/ A. Pagan, STScI.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Centaurus A<\/a> is a giant galaxy located in the southern constellation of Centaurus.<\/p>\n

Also known as NGC 5128, LEDA 46957, ESO 270-9, and Caldwell 7, the galaxy is one of the brightest objects in the southern hemisphere night sky.<\/p>\n

Centaurus A was discovered on April 29, 1826 by the Scottish astronomer James Dunlop.<\/p>\n

At a distance of 13 million light-years, it is the closest active galactic nucleus to us.<\/p>\n

Astronomers theorize that what was originally an elliptical galaxy collided with a relatively smaller spiral galaxy, giving it the peculiar shape we see now.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt Centaurus A\u2019s core sits a supermassive black hole actively feeding on surrounding material,\u201d the Webb astronomers said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs it does, the black hole launches powerful jets and releases enormous amounts of energy, shaping the galaxy around it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the same time, Centaurus A bears the scars of a dramatic past: a major collision with another galaxy roughly two billion years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe aftermath of that merger is still visible today in its unusual structure and ongoing star formation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Visible light observations from the NASA\/ESA Hubble Space Telescope could not reveal the central region of Centaurus A where dust blocked the view, while NASA\u2019s retired Spitzer Space Telescope revealed large scale structures in the infrared without resolving individual stars.<\/p>\n

Now, Webb brings both clarity and depth, exposing the galaxy\u2019s inner workings star by star.<\/p>\n

\u201cWebb\u2019s mid-infrared vision highlights the galaxy\u2019s rich dust structures, which glow in intricate shapes that surprise and even perplex astronomers,\u201d the researchers said.<\/p>\n

\u201cA warped, parallelogram-like band cuts across the galaxy\u2019s center, while wisps of material stretch outward like cosmic clouds.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAn \u2018S\u2019 shaped feature, most notable in the image from Webb\u2019s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument), is also unusual and invites questions that need further study to answer. What created this shape? How does the black hole influence it? Is it influenced by merger-induced star formation?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMany of the glowing red points in the MIRI image are dust-rich stars or stellar nurseries, where aging stars are shedding material back into space or new stars are forming.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis dust is the raw ingredient for future generations of stars and planets, making it central to the ongoing life cycle of the galaxy.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Webb\u2019s high resolution, the scientists can now study Centaurus A star by star, even in its long-obscured central region.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat looks \u2018grainy\u2019 in the image from Webb, most obvious in the combined MIRI and NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) view, is actually a densely packed field of individual stars, together carrying information about the galaxy\u2019s past,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith Webb\u2019s view of Centaurus A, it becomes a case of galactic archaeology.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEach star revealed helps to reconstruct when different events happened: when older stars first formed, when activity slowed down, a burst of star formation during the collision, and stars born from gas stirred in its aftermath.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTogether, they form a timeline of the galaxy\u2019s evolution.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n


\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Celebrating four years of science, the NASA\/ESA\/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has pierced the thick dust of the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":191613,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-191612","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image_14901-Centaurus-A.jpg","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":187500,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=187500","url_meta":{"origin":191612,"position":0},"title":"Webb Maps Millions of Stars in Messier 82","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"June 29, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The NASA\/ESA\/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has resolved roughly 16.5 million stars in the edge-on spiral galaxy Messier 82 (M82, NGC 3034 or the Cigar Galaxy), offering astronomers an unprecedented look inside a galaxy undergoing an intense burst of star formation. This Webb image shows the edge-on spiral galaxy Messier\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "National News"","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image_14877_1-Messier-82.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image_14877_1-Messier-82.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image_14877_1-Messier-82.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":175887,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=175887","url_meta":{"origin":191612,"position":1},"title":"Webb Detects Methane on Interstellar Comet 3I\/ATLAS – astrobiology.com","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"June 2, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Webb Detects Methane on Interstellar Comet 3I\/ATLAS\u00a0\u00a0astrobiology.comWebb sniffs methane from interstellar Comet 3I\/ATLAS\u00a0\u00a0European Space AgencyNASA\u2019s Webb Detects Methane on Interstellar Comet 3I\/ATLAS\u00a0\u00a0NASA Science (.gov)Webb Telescope snaps interstellar comet \u2013 proves it's like nothing we've ever seen in our own Solar System\u00a0\u00a0BBC Sky at Night MagazineWebb Telescope Detects Methane on Interstellar\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "National News"","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/J6_coFbogxhRI9iM864NL_liGXvsQp2AupsKei7z0cNNfDvGUmWUy20nuUhkREQyrpY4bEeIBucs0-w300-rw.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":171452,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=171452","url_meta":{"origin":191612,"position":2},"title":"Webb just clocked nearly 9,000 young star clusters and found the biggest ones break from their birth clouds in 5 million years, a timing clue that could reshape how astronomers model galaxies growing up – Space Daily","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"May 23, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Webb just clocked nearly 9,000 young star clusters and found the biggest ones break from their birth clouds in 5 million years, a timing clue that could reshape how astronomers model galaxies growing up\u00a0\u00a0Space DailyWebb Studies Star Clusters\u00a0\u00a0NASA (.gov)Webb Reveals M51\u2019s Rapid Star Cluster Emergence in the Whirlpool Galaxy\u00a0\u00a0TechEBlog -CNS\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "National News"","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/J6_coFbogxhRI9iM864NL_liGXvsQp2AupsKei7z0cNNfDvGUmWUy20nuUhkREQyrpY4bEeIBucs0-w300-rw.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":179409,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=179409","url_meta":{"origin":191612,"position":3},"title":"James Webb Space Telescope discovers 'galaxy-killing' wind that may explain why some early galaxies lived fast and died young – Space","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"June 11, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"James Webb Space Telescope discovers 'galaxy-killing' wind that may explain why some early galaxies lived fast and died young\u00a0\u00a0SpaceScientists Discover Fearsome Wind That Destroys Entire Galaxies\u00a0\u00a0FuturismAstronomers found a galaxy in the throes of death \u2013 and they know what\u2019s killing it\u00a0\u00a0The ConversationCaught in the act: the wind that could kill\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "National News"","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/J6_coFbogxhRI9iM864NL_liGXvsQp2AupsKei7z0cNNfDvGUmWUy20nuUhkREQyrpY4bEeIBucs0-w300-rw.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":186730,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=186730","url_meta":{"origin":191612,"position":4},"title":"Deuterium in Comets Tell Interesting Tales","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"June 27, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Comets have played an interesting role in astronomy history. 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