Centaurus A - NGC 5128

Abstract

This review summarizes the state of the knowledge of the nearby (D = 3.4 Mpc) radio source Centaurus A and its host galaxy NGC 5128. The massive elliptical host galaxy appears to be moderately triaxial. It contains a strongly warped thin disk, rich in gas, dust and young stars, and roughly aligned with the minor axis of the elliptical galaxy. This and other evidence suggests that NGC 5128 has experienced a major merger at least once in its past. The subparsec nucleus is variable at radio and X-ray wavelengths and is probably powered by accretion onto a black hole of moderate mass. HI and molecular line absorption against the nucleus suggest significal inflow of material. Linear radio/X-ray jets emanating from the nucleus become subrelativistic at a few parsec, expand into plumes at about 5 kpc, and then turn into huge radio lobes extending out to 250 kpc. A compact disk surrounds the nucleus. It is not aligned with any of the principal axes of the elliptical galaxy, but perpendicular to the inner jets. The jet-collimating mechanism, probably tied to this circumnuclear disk, appears to be precessing on timescales of a times 10**7 yerars.

Reviw; 46 pages; Figures not included

Cited by in corpus (219)

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• The Globular Cluster System of NGC 5128 I. Survey and Catalogs
• Gemini Near Infrared Spectrograph observations of the central supermassive black hole in Centaurus A
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• Gemini Imaging of Mid-IR Emission from the Nuclear Region of Centaurus A
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• Dual-frequency VLBI study of Centaurus A on sub-parsec scales
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• Disentangling the Circumnuclear Environs of Centaurus A: III. An Inner Molecular Ring, Nuclear Shocks and the CO to warm H2 interface
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• The Outer Halo of the Nearest Giant Elliptical: A VLT/VIMOS Survey of the Resolved Stellar Populations in Centaurus A to 85 kpc
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• Parsec-scale shocks in the kiloparsec-scale jet of Centaurus A
• A lower bound on the local extragalactic magnetic field
• ALMA Observations of the Physical and Chemical Conditions in Centaurus A
• Globular Clusters and X-ray Point Sources in Centaurus A (NGC 5128)
• The physical characteristics of the gas in the disk of Centaurus A using the Herschel Space Observatory
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• Spitzer Observations of Centaurus A: Infrared Synchrotron Emission from the Northern Lobe
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• Uncovering the kiloparsec-scale stellar ring of NGC5128
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• Spatially Resolved Circumnuclear Dust in Centaurus A
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• The evolution of the large-scale emission in FRI jets
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• The Lost Dwarfs of Centaurus A and the Formation of its Dark Globular Clusters
• Physical conditions in nearby active galaxies correlated with ultra-high-energy cosmic rays detected by the Pierre Auger Observatory
• Dynamics of rising magnetized cavities and UHECR acceleration in clusters of galaxies
• Resolved Stellar Populations as Tracers of Outskirts
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• Investigating the Dark Matter Halo of NGC 5128 using a Discrete Dynamical Model
• High Energy Hadronic Acceleration in Extragalactic Radio Jets
• Interpreting correlated observations of cosmic rays and gamma-rays from Centaurus A with a proton blazar inspired model
• Probing UHECR production in Centaurus A using secondary neutrinos and gamma-rays
• Case for Centaurus A as the main source of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays
• One of Everything: The Breakthrough Listen Exotica Catalog
• NGC 5128 as an isotropic rotator
• The Subparsec-scale Structure and Evolution of Centaurus A. III. A Multi-Epoch Spectral And Polarimetric VLBA Study
• Giant lobes of Centaurus A as seen in radio and gamma-ray images obtained with the Fermi-LAT and Planck satellites
• Molecular absorption in Cen A on VLBI scales
• 3.3 μm PAH observations of the central kiloparsecs of Centaurus A
• Neutrino production from photo-hadronic interactions of the gamma flux from Active Galactic Nuclei with their gas content
• The origin of the very-high-energy radiation along the jet of Centaurus A
• An Analysis of Soft X-ray Structures at Kiloparsec Distances from the Active Nucleus of Centaurus A Galaxy
• Probing the Infrared/Radio correlation of the full IRAS Revised Bright Galaxy Sample with MeerKAT and the VLA
• Astrophysical Evidence of Wakefield Acceleration in Galactic and Extragalactic Jets via Gamma Rays and UHECRs
• A Swift X-ray view of the SMS4 sample -- II: X-ray properties of 17 bright radio sources
• Simulation study of GZK photon fluxes
• The Crab Nebula as a Calibrator for wide-beam Cosmic Microwave Background polarization surveys
• Hydrogen recombination near-infrared line mapping of Centaurus A with IRSF/SIRIUS
• High resolution observations of Cen A: Yellow and red supergiants in a region of jet-induced star formation?
• Star formation in hosts of young radio galaxies
• MICONIC: JWST/MIRI-MRS reveals heavily reprocessed PAH emission in the circum-nuclear disc of Centaurus A
• Jet-driven shocks and turbulence in radio-loud Active Galactic Nuclei observed with JWST MIRI/MRS
• The Metallicity Distribution Function in Outer Halo Fields of Simulated Elliptical Galaxies Compared to Observations of NGC 5128
• Multiwavelength and parsec-scale properties of extragalactic jets
• Time Domain Astronomy with the THESEUS Satellite
• Tidal Disruption of Super Star Clusters as the origin of Bluish Light at the inner region of the Perseus Cluster Central Galaxy
• Recent advances on multimessenger astrophysics: Centaurus A, GW 170817, and KM3-230213A
• Study of PeV neutrinos around dwarf galaxies near giant lobes of Centaurus A