NEAR-INFRARED IMAGING AND SPECTROSCOPY OF CENTAURUS-A

We present near-infrared images and spectra of the peculiar radio galaxy Centaurus A. The images reveal extended emission regions at the longer wavelengths and show colours characteristic of reddened starlight. We believe we are seeing stars within the warped disc of Cen A, which are obscured in the optical by dust. Both images and spectra indicate the presence of a compact core, whose colours are much redder than those of the surrounding stars. In the spectrum of the core, detections have been made of [Fe II] 1.644 mum, H-2 2.122 mum and Br gamma. These lines appear to peak on the nucleus and their presence and width suggest starburst activity.