Centaurus A is the fifth brightest galaxy in the sky and located in the constellation of Centaurus. Perhaps is most unique feature is that incredible dust lane that runs across its middle. Like many galaxies, Centaurus A contains a supermassive black hole. This is responsible for a giant jet blasting away from its centre. The bright central bulge and unique dust lane are great targets for amateur visual astronomy observations as it can be seen in finder scopes and large binoculars. If you are lucky enough to get to a very dark location with the right conditions, it is visible to the naked eye. However, to truly study all of the wonderful details within, astrophotography is the weapon of choice.
This image was taken from Heathcote, Vic. Australia. It is colour image combining Luminance, Red, Green, and Blue filtered light.
Image center ...... RA: 13 25 28.350 Dec: -43 00 58.52
Focal Length....... 2300.00 mm
Pixel size ........ 9.00 um
Resolution ........ 0.82 arcsec/pix
Instruments
Telescope: 10" Ritchey-Chrétien
Camera: SBIG STL-11000 Mono
Mount: Astro-Physics AP-900
Software: CCDStack, Photoshop.
Image Date: 17 May 2015
3 Hours, 33 Min for Lum Channel
1 Hour, 25 Min for each RGB channel
Terry
Centaurus-A by
Terry Robison, on Flickr
