1 00:00:00,500 --> 00:00:05,000 The Hubble Space Telescope has produced a close-up view of the galaxy Centaurus A. 2 00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:11,000 Hubble’s multi-wavelength image is the most detailed ever made of this dynamic and dusty galaxy. 3 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:30,000 Episode 46: A Tour of Centaurus A 4 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:38,000 Presented by Dr J, aka Dr Joe Liske 5 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:42,000 Hello and welcome to the Hubblecast. 6 00:00:42,500 --> 00:00:48,500 Centaurus A is well known for its huge dust lanes that stretch across the entire extent of the galaxy. 7 00:00:48,700 --> 00:00:51,000 Hubble’s new observations are an extreme 8 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:55,000 close-up of a small part of these dust lanes. 9 00:00:55,200 --> 00:01:00,000 This new image is made from observations in ultraviolet, optical and near-infrared light. 10 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:04,000 The utraviolet light shows us the location of hot young stars, 11 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:08,500 whereas the near infrared light allows us to glimpse some of the details 12 00:01:08,700 --> 00:01:11,000 that are obscured by dust in the optical. 13 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:17,000 Astronomers think that Centaurus A must have collided 14 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:20,000 and merged with another galaxy at some point in the past. 15 00:01:21,500 --> 00:01:25,000 The shockwaves of this event caused hydrogen gas to coalesce 16 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:31,000 and sparked intense areas of star formation, as seen in the red patches visible here. 17 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:38,000 The turmoil of this collision also explains the warped shape of the galaxy’s disc. 18 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:45,500 Looking at a broader view taken by ESO’s Wide Field Imager 19 00:01:45,700 --> 00:01:49,200 reveals the extent of the distortion in Cen A’s shape, 20 00:01:49,500 --> 00:01:52,000 as well as further areas of vigorous star formation. 21 00:01:52,500 --> 00:01:56,500 The galaxy contains a highly active supermassive black hole at its centre. 22 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:03,000 Powerful relativistic jets release vast amounts of radio and X-ray radiation. 23 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:07,000 Although Hubble can’t see this, 24 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:12,000 submillimetre telescopes like APEX can see broad plumes of matter 25 00:02:12,200 --> 00:02:15,000 being ejected far out from the galaxy. 26 00:02:17,500 --> 00:02:23,000 At a distance of just over 11 million light-years, Cen A is relatively close in astronomical terms. 27 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:26,500 In fact, it’s not only close, it is also very bright. 28 00:02:26,700 --> 00:02:32,000 Amateur astronomers with a view of the southern skies can actually see it with just a pair of binoculars, 29 00:02:32,300 --> 00:02:37,000 while those with a largish amateur telescope can even make out the dust lanes. 30 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:43,000 But only Hubble reveals this much detail. 31 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:48,000 Not only does the space telescope offer unprecedented clarity 32 00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:51,700 due to its position above the distorting effects of the atmosphere: 33 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:57,500 it is also able to observe ultraviolet and infrared wavelengths with pristine clarity. 34 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:01,000 This is Dr J signing off for the Hubblecast 35 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:06,000 — once again nature has surprised us beyond our wildest imagination. 36 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:10,000 Transcribed by ESA/Hubble