Galaxy · Lenticular
Centaurus A (NGC 5128)
Centaurus A (NGC 5128) is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Centaurus, 12.4 million light-years away. The nearest active galactic nucleus; giant radio lobes and a prominent dust lane.
| Type | Lenticular |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Centaurus |
| Distance | 12.4 million light-years (3.80 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 81,500 light-years · 0.93 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −21.00 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 6.90 |
| Luminosity | 1.1 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 13h 25m 27.6s |
| Declination (J2000) | −43° 01′ 08″ |
| Source | Compiled catalogue (NED, approximate values) |
In the sky
Too faint for the naked eye (magnitude 6.90); binoculars will find it. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 47° N. South of latitude 47° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in April, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 12 million years ago. At that time the dinosaurs were gone and mammals were diversifying; there was no human lineage yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 219.9 billion years.