NGC 5128
RA 13h 25m · Dec -43° 01′
5′

The nearest radio galaxy, the result of a giant elliptical engulfing a spiral. The prominent dark lane of the absorbed galaxy divides the nuclear bulge. A relativistic jet extends from the AGN at the core. Sadly too far south for UK imaging.

Galaxy

NGC 5128

NGC 5128 · Centaurus
These photons are ~13.7 million years old
LLuminance. A broad clear (UV/IR-blocked) channel that carries the fine detail in an LRGB image.iTelescope T32iTelescope Planewave CDK17Siding Spring Observatory, Australia · Planewave 17-inch CDK · Corrected Dall-Kirkham astrograph · Aperture 431mm · Focal length 2912mm · f/6.8 · Camera ZWO…View equipment →RRed broadband channel of an RGB set.iTelescope T32iTelescope Planewave CDK17Siding Spring Observatory, Australia · Planewave 17-inch CDK · Corrected Dall-Kirkham astrograph · Aperture 431mm · Focal length 2912mm · f/6.8 · Camera ZWO…View equipment →GGreen broadband channel of an RGB set.iTelescope T32iTelescope Planewave CDK17Siding Spring Observatory, Australia · Planewave 17-inch CDK · Corrected Dall-Kirkham astrograph · Aperture 431mm · Focal length 2912mm · f/6.8 · Camera ZWO…View equipment →BBlue broadband channel of an RGB set.iTelescope T32iTelescope Planewave CDK17Siding Spring Observatory, Australia · Planewave 17-inch CDK · Corrected Dall-Kirkham astrograph · Aperture 431mm · Focal length 2912mm · f/6.8 · Camera ZWO…View equipment →
⧉ 4 versions of this capture — pick one to see its image and log
Date
21/07/2026
Location
Siding Spring Observatory (remote)
Integration
2h 0m (24 × 300s)
Software
PythonastropyastroalignSEPscikit-imagephotutilsAstrometry.net
Notes
Everything the measurements justify and nothing they do not. The background fit is constrained so it cannot subtract the nebula itself; the deepest channel is sharpened with star-protected deconvolution; a second tone curve recovers the bright core without clipping the faint outer structure; and noise reduction is kept away from compact sources. Plate-solved against Gaia DR3, so scale and orientation are measured rather than assumed.
Moon
🌓First quarter, 43% lit
Plate solve
Centre RA
13h 25m 27s
Centre Dec
−43° 01′ 11″
Field
42.9′ × 28.6′
Pixel scale
1.01″/px
Orientation
-89° E of N
Hemisphere
Southern
Also in this frame
C77

Catalogued objects inside the plate-solved field, nearest the centre first. Highlighted names have their own photo here.

TelescopeiTelescope T32

Where to find it

Finder chart
-43°20′-43°10′-43°-42°50′-42°40′13h25m13h25m13h26m13h27mNGC 5128NE42.9′ x 28.6′5′

Star field and catalogued objects inside the plate-solved field, oriented to the solve. Fully offline, from the bundled star and deep-sky catalogues.

Interactive sky chart centred on 13 25 27 -43 01 11. Drag to pan, scroll to zoom, click a star or object to identify it. Zoom in to the plate-solved field for the DSS survey photo; zoom out for constellation figures and neighbouring catalogue objects. Fully self-hosted: the star and deep-sky catalogues and the survey image are all served from this site, so nothing external loads. Imagery: DSS2 colour (STScI / POSS-II). Constellation figures © Dominic Ford (GPLv3).

Captured remotely from · Australia
Bortle 2 · truly dark
Siding Spring Observatory · view on OpenStreetMap ↗ · Place data © GeoNames (CC BY)

Frequently asked questions

What kind of object is NGC 5128?
NGC 5128 is a galaxy.
Which constellation is NGC 5128 in?
NGC 5128 lies in the constellation Centaurus.
How far away is NGC 5128?
The light in this image left NGC 5128 roughly ~13.7 million years ago, so that is how far back in time you are seeing it.
What are the coordinates of NGC 5128?
NGC 5128 sits at right ascension 13h 25m 27s and declination −43° 01′ 11″ (J2000).
When is the best time to photograph NGC 5128?
NGC 5128 rides highest in the evening sky around April, reaching about 78° above the horizon from Siding Spring Observatory (31°S).
What else is in this frame?
The plate-solved field also contains C77.
What equipment was used to photograph NGC 5128?
This image of NGC 5128 was captured with iTelescope T32.
How much exposure time went into this image?
This image of NGC 5128 represents 120m (L 12, R 4, G 4, B 4 x 300s) + 2h 0m (24 × 300s) of total integration time.

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