Centaurus A and its halo

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This image shows the stunning elliptical galaxy Centaurus A. Recently, astronomers have used the Hubble Space Telescope to probe the outskirts of this galaxy to learn more about its dim halo of stars. The galaxy's halo of stars has been found to reach much further than expected, extending across 4 degrees in the sky - equivalent to eight times the apparent width of the Moon, or almost twice the width of this image. This image is a composite of images from Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2), the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope, and the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS).
Image Credit: ESA/Hubble, NASA, Digitized Sky Survey, MPG/ESO
Acknowledgement: Davide de Martin
Image enhancement: Jean-Baptiste Faure