We present the result of a planetary nebula (PN) survey of the nearby giant elliptical galaxy NGC 5128 performed with CCD cameras at the prime focus of the CTIO 4m in telescope. By comparing CCD images centered on the characteristic emission line [O III] {lambda}5007{AA} and on the adjacent continuum, we identify a total of 785 PNs in areas extending 20kpc along the photometric major axis and covering the whole galaxy to 10kpc. From these data, we form a complete sample of 224 PN's extending to a dereddened limiting magnitude of m_5007_=24.8, which extends 1.5mag down the PN luminosity function (PNLF). Adopting a foreground extinction of E(B-V)=0.1, we derive a distance to the galaxy of 3.5+/-0.2Mpc, in excellent agreement with the surface brightness fluctuation method. No population effect on the bright cutoff of PNLF is observed in the isophotal radius range of 2-16kpc, but the luminosity specific PN density ({alpha}2.5) seems to increase with radius inside of 7kpc, in agreement with the {alpha}2.5-color relation observed for other galaxies.
Cone search capability for table J/ApJ/414/463/table2 (Journal of observations)
Cone search capability for table J/ApJ/414/463/table6 (Luminosity specific PN densities)
