Fast and Furious Star Formation in Starburst Galaxies

While our Sun was born almost five billion years ago, there are brand new stars forming today. Within our Milky Way galaxy, the vibrant glowing regions such as the Orion, Eagle, and Carina Nebulas are places where stars are currently being born.

In some galaxies, such as many elliptical galaxies, there is little star formation taking place. Other galaxies, like our Milky Way, have a moderate amount of newborn stars. Still others, called starburst galaxies, are experiencing a sudden and short-lived period of rampant stellar birth.

In this video, delve into galaxies where the fast rate of star formation produces furious activity. These starburst galaxies are especially well observed in infrared light by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, revealing fine details of the dynamic star-forming regions.

In particular, Webb's observations of galaxy Messier 82 peer through the dust clouds to reveal its inner structure and capture the full extent of its spectacular and starburst-induced galactic wind. This video features a 3D visualization of Messier 82 created by a team of astronomers and artists at the Space Telescope Science Institute.

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News Release (June 2026): NASA’s Webb Pinpoints Millions of Stars Within Cigar Galaxy

News Release (June 2025): NASA’s Webb ‘UNCOVERs’ Galaxy Population Driving Cosmic Renovation

News Release (January 2024): NASA’s Webb Depicts Staggering Structure in 19 Nearby Spiral Galaxies