Astronomy Picture of the Day · February 2, 2002

Centaurus A: The Galaxy Deep Inside

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for February 2, 2002 is “Centaurus A: The Galaxy Deep Inside,” an image. It is credited to Credit: ESA/ISO , ISOCAM Team, I. F. Mirabel and O. Laurent ( CEA/DSM/DAPNIA ), et al.. The original explanation runs about 150 words.

From the explanation

“Deep inside Centaurus A , the closest active galaxy to Earth, lies … another galaxy! Cen A is a giant elliptical galaxy a mere 10 million light-years distant with a central jumble of stars, dust, and gas that probably hides a massive black hole .”

— APOD editors, February 2, 2002

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: February 2, 2002
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: ESA/ISO , ISOCAM Team, I. F. Mirabel and O. Laurent ( CEA/DSM/DAPNIA ), et al.
Copyright: No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 150 words

All of February 2002 → · 2002 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

Galaxies Black holes

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: February 2 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, February 2, 2002 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2002-february-2-centaurus-a-the-galaxy-deep-inside

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.