Centaurus A (MIRI Image)
stsci_2026-120a July 6th, 2026
Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI), Joseph Depasquale (STScI), Macarena Garcia Marin (STScI)
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) reveals the nearby galaxy Centaurus A, exposing the dusty structures and hidden activity that shape this unusual system. Webb’s infrared vision pierces thick lanes of dust that obscure much of the galaxy in visible light, unveiling intricate filaments, loops, and glowing clouds of warm dust stretching across its center. At the heart of the galaxy, an actively feeding supermassive black hole shines brightly, surrounded by complex structures sculpted by a past galactic collision and ongoing activity.
Provider: Space Telescope Science Institute
Image Source: /image/stsci/2026-120a
Curator: STScI
Image Use Policy: http://stsci.edu/copyright/
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Image Details
Distance
Position Details
Color Mapping
- ID
- 2026-120a
- Subject Category
- C.5.1.4 C.5.1.7
- Subject Name
- Centaurus A
- Credits
- NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI), Joseph Depasquale (STScI), Macarena Garcia Marin (STScI)
- Release Date
- 2026-07-06
- Lightyears
- 11,000,000
- Redshift
- 0.001877
- Reference Url
- /image/stsci/2026-120a
- Type
- Image Quality
- Good
- Distance Notes
- Distance and redshift auto-populated from SIMBAD (Planck18 cosmology) - verify
- Facility
- Webb, Webb, Webb
- Instrument
- MIRI, MIRI, MIRI
- Color Assignment
- Blue, Cyan, Red
- Band
- Infrared, Infrared, Infrared
- Bandpass
- F560W, F770W, F1000W
- Central Wavelength
- 5635, 7639, 9953
- Start Time
- Integration Time
- Dataset ID
- Notes
- Coordinate Frame
- ICRS
- Equinox
- Reference Value
- 201.3729093397, -43.0325730365
- Reference Dimension
- 4490, 1859
- Reference Pixel
- 1914.28, 1050.20
- Scale
- -3.079538379774e-05, -3.082828899659e-05
- Rotation
- 24.779982
- Coordinate System Projection:
- TAN
- Quality
- Full
- FITS Header
- Notes
- Creator (Curator)
- STScI
- URL
- /image/stsci/2026-120a
- Name
- Space Telescope Science Institute Office of Public Outreach
- Telephone
- Address
- City
- State/Province
- Postal Code
- Country
- Rights
- http://stsci.edu/copyright/
- Publisher
- Publisher ID
- stsci
- Resource ID
- STSCI-J-p26120a-f-4490x1859.tif
- Resource URL
- https://mast.stsci.edu/api/latest/Download/file?uri=mast:OPO/product/STSCI_PR_2026-120/STSCI-J-p26120a-f-4490x1859.tif
- Related Resources
- Metadata Date
- 2026-06-22
- Metadata Version
- 1.2
Detailed color mapping information coming soon...
