Webb image archive
Centaurus A Crop (NIRCam and MIRI Image)
This combined view of Centaurus A from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope pairs observations from the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). Webb&rs...
- Date
- Jul 6, 2026
- Observatory
- James Webb Space Telescope
- Credit
- NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI
- Archive ID
- centaurus-a-crop-nircam-and-miri-image
This combined view of Centaurus A from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope pairs observations from the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). Webb’s infrared vision exposes a warped disk of gas and dust left behind by a collision with another galaxy billions of years ago.
What may first appear as a grainy glow is actually a dense field of millions of individually resolved stars. By distinguishing different generations of stars embedded throughout the dusty center, Webb gives astronomers new clues to the galaxy’s history and the processes that continue to shape it.
Image Details
About the Object
| R.A. Position | 13:25:30.09 |
|---|---|
| Dec. Position | -42:58:13.62 |
| Constellation | Centaurus |
| Distance | About 11 million light-years away |
| Dimensions | This image is about 5.5 arcminutes across (18,000 light-years) |
About the Data
| Data Description | This image was created with Webb data from proposal: 12496 (M. Garcia Marin). |
|---|---|
| Instrument | NIRCam, MIRI |
| Exposure Dates | 22 Jan. - 16 March 2026 |
| Filters | NIRCam>F090W, F187N, F200W, F277W, F335M, F444W MIRI>F560W, F770W, F1000W |