Thursday, July 3, 2025

Peering Into a Starburst Galaxy With the JWST

This is the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope Picture of the Month. The powerful infrared space telescope captured this image of the Cigar Galaxy (M82) with its Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). Rather than reveal the presence of the galaxy's stars, it shows the infrared emissions from warm dust and clouds of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Image Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, A. Bolatto. CC BY 4.0 INT

Astronomers used the JWST to examine M82, a nearby starburst galaxy. M82 is forming stars at a prodigious rate due to its interactions with its neighbour, M81. It produces thousands of solar masses of stars per year, much more than the Milky Way.



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