Peculiar Elliptical Galaxy Centaurus A

Explanation: What's happened to the center of this galaxy? Unusual and dramatic dust lanes run across the center of elliptical galaxy Centaurus 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 .