Explanation:
Why is peculiar galaxy Centaurus A so dusty?
Dramatic dust lanes that run
across the galaxy's center mark
Cen A.
These dust lanes are so thick they almost completely obscure the
galaxy's center in
visible light.
This is particularly unusual as
Cen A's
red stars and round shape are characteristic of a giant
elliptical galaxy,
a galaxy type usually low in dark dust.
Cen A,
also known as NGC 5128, is also unusual compared to an average
elliptical galaxy because it contains a
higher proportion of young blue stars and is a
very strong source of
radio emission.
Evidence indicates that
Cen A is likely the result of the
collision of two
normal galaxies.
During the collision, many
young stars were formed, but
details of the creation of
Cen A's unusual dust belts are still being researched.
Cen A lies only 13 million
light years away, making it the closest
active galaxy.
Cen A,
pictured above, spans 60,000 light years and can be
seen with binoculars toward the constellation of
Centaurus.
