constellation Centaurus. The A indicates that the galaxy is the most powerful radio source in that region. In the 1950s, astronomers showed that NGC 5128 and Centaurus A were the same object.
The optical image of Centaurus A was obtained at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile using the 4 meter telescope. Radio images are from the Very Large Array radio telescope, located near Socorro, New Mexico.
