Webb pinpoints millions of stars within Cigar Galaxy
Located 12 million light-years away and undergoing rapid star formation, edge-on spiral galaxy Messier 82 (M82) is a scientifically unique sight to behold, and now the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has revealed previously unseen details.
M82’s intense star formation, thought to be the result of a galaxy merger, will be a short-lived event in astronomical terms, estimated to last a few hundred million years in its entirety. This temporary phase of extreme star formation relative to the galaxy’s mass, as well as its location in the local Universe, are among the factors that make M82, also known as the Cigar galaxy, a one-of-a-kind environment to study.
A team of astronomers recently completed an imaging survey with Webb. This programme entailed a total of 65 hours of observation time with Webb’s NIRCam instrument and revealed never-seen-before details of the starburst galaxy, including its distended disc structure and millions of individual stars. Webb’s high-resolution imaging, specifically of the main plane of the disc, has unlocked vital information for astronomers as they seek to uncover M82’s formation history. Additionally, the Webb data will help scientists understand the current processes occurring within the starburst galaxy.
Prior to Webb, many observatories observed the starburst galaxy, including the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. However, the sheer volume of dust within that galaxy limited the amount of information astronomers could acquire on M82 at high resolution. While Webb has previously looked at this galaxy, the duration of the new imaging survey, combined with the telescope’s infrared sensitivity was an optimal combination that enabled it to pierce through the thick dust.
The telescope’s near-infrared-light view is a snapshot of a scene that has been evolving over a couple hundred million years. Webb’s image contains approximately 16.5 million individual stars dispersed throughout the galaxy. The starlight from these stellar sources is depicted as luminous blue granules. This is only a small portion of the total amount of stars astronomers think reside in a galaxy like M82, with the majority too faint to be seen.
Moving inward, the increase in brightness and the asymmetrical shape of the galactic disc hints at the spiral galaxy’s unique underlying structure. The differing radii between the two sides suggests that M82 has a distorted shape, which can happen during intense galaxy mergers.
Because of the extreme star formation within the galaxy, which is 10 times faster than the Milky Way galaxy’s star formation rate, stellar birth will eventually be disrupted. M82’s stellar frenzy is causing bipolar plumes of material to be ejected above and below the disc. Though it looks like a tumultuous region, the hourglass-shaped outflows appear to have a layered structure. The yellow tendrils of material closest to the galaxy’s disc represent ionised gas, whereas the orange material farther away depicts small dust grains. These grains are called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and are helpful in tracing material in the space between the galaxy’s stars, also known as the interstellar medium.
The information collected as part of this Webb study is just one dataset scientists will analyse as they seek to piece together this starburst galaxy’s formation history.
The Cigar Galaxy: M82 (Webb and Hubble image)
The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope’s recently observed edge-on starburst galaxy Messier 82 (M82), nicknamed the Cigar Galaxy. Webb’s near-infrared-light view is a snapshot in time, revealing a scene that has been evolving over a couple hundred million years. In near-infrared light, astronomers can see the galaxy’s distended disc structure and millions of individual stars — approximately 16.5 million — for the first time.
Depicted as luminous blue granules, these stars are only a small portion of the total amount astronomers think reside in a galaxy like M82. The extreme star formation occurring within M82, which will eventually cause star formation to cease in the future, is causing bipolar plumes of material to be ejected above and below the galaxy’s disc.
Yellow tendrils of material closest to the galaxy’s disc represent ionised gas, and the orange material farther away depicts small dust grains. These grains are called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and are helpful in tracing material in the space between the galaxy’s stars — also known as the interstellar medium.
Webb’s detailed observation of the galaxy, specifically of the main plane of the disc, is aiding astronomers as they seek to uncover the formation history of M82. The telescope data will also help scientists understand the current processes occurring within the starburst galaxy.
[Image description: Composite image of edge-on spiral starburst galaxy Messier 82 as observed by Webb and Hubble. Hourglass-shaped plumes of gas are shooting outward from above and below a bright blue-white, disc-shaped centre. The plumes are yellow near the galaxy’s bright centre, denoting areas of ionised hydrogen gas as observed by Hubble, and gradually become redder as you move farther away. Messier 82 is set against the black background of space, which has many distant galaxies that appear as small white and orange spirals, ovals, and points of light. Toward the right of Messier 82 is a blue-white star with eight-pointed diffraction spikes that are characteristic of Webb.]
Credit:
NASA, ESA, CSA, A. Smercina (STScI), T. Williams (University of Manchester). Image processing: A. Pagan (STScI).
The Cigar Galaxy: M82 (Webb NIRCam image)
The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope recently observed edge-on starburst galaxy Messier 82 (M82), nicknamed the Cigar Galaxy. Webb’s near-infrared-light view is a snapshot in time, revealing a scene that has been evolving over a couple hundred million years. In near-infrared light, astronomers can see the galaxy’s distended disc structure and millions of individual stars (approximately 16.5 million) for the first time.
Webb’s imaging survey of the galaxy is helping astronomers investigate the formation history of M82 and will also shed light on the current processes occurring within the starburst galaxy.
[Image description: Edge-on spiral starburst galaxy Messier 82 as imaged by Webb. Hourglass-shaped red-orange plumes of material are shooting outward from above and below a bright blue-white, disc-shaped centre. Messier 82 is set against the black background of space, which has many distant galaxies that appear as small white and orange spirals, ovals, and points of light. Toward the right of Messier 82 is a blue-white star with eight-pointed diffraction spikes that are characteristic of Webb.]
Credit:
NASA, ESA, CSA, A. Smercina (STScI), T. Williams (University of Manchester). Image processing: A. Pagan (STScI).
The Cigar Galaxy: M82 (Hubble and Webb)
Edge-on spiral galaxy Messier 82 (M82) has been an object of study by many observatories over the years, including the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and most recently the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope.
This side-by-side comparison shows the same region of M82 as seen by Hubble (left) and Webb (right). Hubble’s visible-light view is limited because of the amount of dust within M82, which shrouds the galaxy’s details. Bright, bluish light radiating from the centre is due to star formation. A notable thick lane of dust, black in the centre and red around the edges, diagonally stretches across the scene. Thinner strands and clumps of reddish dust cover the majority of the view.
With its ability to observe the near-infrared Universe, Webb can pierce through the dusty environment of M82 and reveal what was once hidden to astronomers. With Webb, millions of individual stars within M82’s heart (seen here as luminous blue-white granules) are resolved in unprecedented clarity. Red-orange clumps, most noticeable toward the right, are small dust grains.
[Image description: A side-by-side comparison of a portion of starburst galaxy Messier 82 (M82) as seen by Hubble (left) and Webb (right). The left image is labeled “Hubble” and the right image is labeled “Webb.” Hubble’s visible-light view at left shows bright, bluish light radiating from the centre and a thick lane of dust, black in the centre and red around the edges, diagonally stretching across the scene. Thinner strands and clumps of reddish dust cover the majority of the view. Webb’s infrared-light view at right shows a dense area of stars, depicted as luminous blue-white grains, against the black background of space. Toward the right side is clumpy red material, which is most visible toward the top right corner.]
Credit:
NASA, ESA, CSA, A. Smercina (STScI), T. Williams (University of Manchester). Image processing: A. Pagan (STScI).
The Cigar Galaxy: M82 (Webb and Hubble image, annotated)
Annotated image of the starburst galaxy Messier 82 captured by the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) and the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope’s ACS/WFC instruments, with compass arrows, a scale bar, and colour key for reference.
The north and east compass arrows show the orientation of the image on the sky. Note that the relationship between north and east on the sky (as seen from below) is flipped relative to direction arrows on a map of the ground (as seen from above).
The scale bar is labeled in light-years.
This image shows invisible near-infrared and visible-light wavelengths of light that have been translated into visible-light colours. The colour key shows which NIRCam and ACS/WFC filters were used when collecting the light. The colour of each filter name is the visible light colour used to represent the infrared light that passes through that filter.
[Image description: Annotated image of starburst galaxy Messier 82 captured by Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) instrument, with compass arrows, a scale bar, and colour key for reference. Hourglass-shaped red-orange plumes of material are shooting outward from above and below a bright blue-white, disc-shaped centre. Messier 82 is set against the black background of space, which has many distant galaxies that appear as small white and orange spirals, ovals, and points of light. Toward the right of Messier 82 is a blue-white star with eight-pointed diffraction spikes that are characteristic of Webb. Below the image is a colour key showing which of Webb’s NIRCam and Hubble’s ACS/WFC filters were used to create the image and which visible-light colour is assigned to each filter. From left to right, NIRCam filters are: F115W is blue; F200W is light blue; F335M is orange, and F444W is red. ACS/WFC filter F658N is yellow.]
Credit:
NASA, ESA, CSA, A. Smercina (STScI), T. Williams (University of Manchester). Image processing: A. Pagan (STScI).
VIDEOS
Pan video: M82 (Webb and Hubble image)
The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope’s recently observed edge-on starburst galaxy Messier 82 (M82), nicknamed the Cigar Galaxy. Webb’s near-infrared-light view is a snapshot in time, revealing a scene that has been evolving over a couple hundred million years. In near-infrared light, astronomers can see the galaxy’s distended disc structure and millions of individual stars — approximately 16.5 million — for the first time.
Learn more about this image here.
Credit:
NASA, ESA, CSA, A. Smercina (STScI), T. Williams (University of Manchester), A. Pagan (STScI), N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb)
Music: Stellardrone - Twilight
Zoom video: M82
This video takes the viewer on a journey through space to edge-on starburst galaxy Messier 82 (M82), nicknamed the Cigar Galaxy.
Credit:
NASA, ESA, CSA, A. Smercina (STScI), T. Williams (University of Manchester), A. Pagan (STScI), N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb)
Music: Tonelabs – The Red North (www.tonelabs.com)
Transition video: M82
This video transitions between two views of the edge-on starburst galaxy Messier 82 (M82), nicknamed the Cigar Galaxy. The first image shown is the galaxy as seen by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, which was release in April 2006. The second image shows Webb's new view of M82, as seen by the Near-InfraRed Camera instrument.
Credit:
NASA, ESA, CSA, A. Smercina (STScI), T. Williams (University of Manchester), A. Pagan (STScI), , N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb)
Music: Stellardrone - The Night Sky in Motion
Space Sparks Episode 27: pinpoints millions of stars within Cigar Galaxy
This Space Sparks highlights Webb's new view of the edge-on spiral galaxy M82.
Credit:
Directed by: Bethany Downer and Nico Bartmann
Editing: Nico Bartmann
Web and technical support: Enciso Systems
Written by: Bethany Downer
Music: Stellardrone - Light Years
Footage and photos: NASA, ESA, CSA, A. Smercina (STScI), T. Williams (University of Manchester), A. Pagan (STScI), N. Bartmann (ESA/Webb).
Fuente: ESA/Hubble/Webb Information Centre
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