NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope recently captured a detailed view of the edge‑on starburst galaxy Messier 82, the Cigar Galaxy, revealing roughly 16.5 million stars.
By combining Webb’s infrared observations with archival data from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, scientists now have a more complete picture that allows them to peer through dust and gas clouds and trace the galaxy’s overall shape.
M82’s rapid star formation, believed to result from a merger with another galaxy, is expected to be a relatively brief phase. The intense activity is launching plumes of material above and below the disk, which may disrupt future star birth.
Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Adam Smercina (STScI, Tufts), Thomas Williams (University of Manchester); Image processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI)
