NASA marks JWST four-year Centaurus A view

NASA used the James Webb Space Telescope’s fourth science anniversary to publish a new close look at the center of Centaurus A, one of the nearest active galaxies to Earth. The release, posted July 6 on NASA’s Webb mission pages and promoted by NASA on July 8, shows the galaxy in mid-infrared light, where dust that blocks visible-light views becomes more transparent. (science.nasa.gov) The new image focuses on a galaxy about 11 million light-years away in the constellation Centaurus. (science.nasa.gov) NASA said Webb’s near- and mid-infrared sensitivity cuts through the thick dust lanes around the core and reveals “a densely packed tapestry of individual stars” along with structures tied to ongoing activity in the galaxy’s center. ### Why did NASA choose Centaurus A for Webb’s four-year milestone? NASA said the Centaurus A release was meant to mark “four years of better-than-anticipated performance and successful science operations” for Webb. The agency paired that anniversary note with a target that is both nearby and unusually active, allowing the telescope to show detail in a galaxy whose center has long been difficult to study in visible light. (science.nasa.gov) Centaurus A is not a quiet spiral like the Milky Way. NASA described it as a galaxy shaped by a major collision with another galaxy roughly 2 billion years ago, with the merger still visible in its warped structure and continuing star formation. (science.nasa.gov) ### What does the new Webb image actually show? The July 6 release centers on data from Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument, or MIRI. NASA said the image reveals filaments, loops and glowing clouds of warm dust across the galaxy’s center, along with hidden structures around the nucleus. At the core, NASA said, sits a supermassive black hole that is actively feeding on surrounding material. (science.nasa.gov) That black hole launches jets and releases energy that shape the galaxy around it, making Centaurus A a useful target for astronomers studying how black holes and galaxies evolve together. ### Why couldn’t earlier telescopes show the same thing? (science.nasa.gov) NASA contrasted the new Webb view with earlier observations from Hubble and Spitzer. Visible-light observations from the Hubble Space Telescope could not fully reveal the central region because dust blocked the view, NASA said, while the retired Spitzer Space Telescope showed large infrared structures but did not resolve individual stars in the same way. (science.nasa.gov) Webb’s contribution is the combination of infrared reach and finer detail. NASA said the telescope now exposes the galaxy’s “inner workings star by star,” giving researchers a sharper look at dust-obscured regions near the active core. (science.nasa.gov) ### What do the observation details tell us? NASA’s object page says the released MIRI image is based on observations taken on Jan. 22, 2026, using the F560W, F770W and F1000W filters. The page identifies the dataset as proposal 12496, led by M. Garcia Marin, and lists the object as Centaurus A, also known as NGC 5128 and Caldwell 77. The same page says the image spans about 8.2 arcminutes, or roughly 26,000 light-years. (science.nasa.gov) NASA credited the image to NASA, ESA, CSA and STScI, with image processing by Alyssa Pagan, Joseph DePasquale and Macarena Garcia Marin. ### Where can readers see what NASA released next? NASA’s Webb mission page now features the Centaurus A image as a highlighted release and links to an interactive “Journey into Centaurus A” presentation. (science.nasa.gov) That browser-based tool lets viewers move through the mid-infrared scene and examine points of interest tied to the anniversary release. NASA says Webb, launched on Dec. 25, 2021, continues operating from the Sun-Earth L2 point about 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. (science.nasa.gov) The Centaurus A materials are now part of the telescope’s latest image archive and anniversary outreach pages. (science.nasa.gov 1) (science.nasa.gov 2)