In fact, detailed studies of most active galaxies only reveal a one-sided jet, with the counter-jet too faint to observe.Ĭentaurus A is one of the few examples for which both the jet and counter-jet have previously been seen. One prediction is that the jet travelling towards us will appear brighter, while the opposing jet, travelling away from us, will appear fainter. They travel at speeds close to the speed of light, and so the effects of Einstein’s theory of relativity become important. These plasma jets are one of the most mysterious and energetic features of galaxies. But some of it – through a process not yet understood – is shot out in a pair of diametrically opposed “jets”. Much of that material ends up falling into, or orbiting around, the black hole. But radio waves are unaffected by this material, so radioastronomers can study its centre in detail.Ĭentaurus A, like other “active” galaxies, has a supermassive black hole at its centre, which is fed by material falling in towards it. In the visible light spectrum, this galaxy is characterised by a dark “dust lane” that blocks our view of its centre. Centaurus A appears as one of the largest radio galaxies in our skies, because of its relative closeness, at 15 million light years from Earth. ![]() Centaurus A is so-named because it is the brightest (hence “A”) object in the constellation Centaurus, in the southern skies.
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