1 min read

M82 (Hubble and Webb)

Left: Messier 82 as imaged by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Right: A section of Messier 82 as imaged by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope.

Starburst galaxy M82 was observed by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2006, which showed the galaxy’s edge-on spiral disk, shredded clouds, and hot hydrogen gas. The James Webb Space Telescope has observed M82’s core, capturing in unprecedented detail the structure of the galactic wind and characterizing individual stars and star clusters.

The Webb image is from the telescope’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) instrument. The red filaments trace the shape of the cool component of the galactic wind via polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAHs are very small dust grains that survive in cooler temperatures but are destroyed in hot conditions. The structure of the emission is similar to that of the ionized gas, suggesting PAHs may be replenished from cooler molecular material as it is ionized.

About the Object

R.A. Position
R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
09:55:52.0
Dec. Position
Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
69:40:48.99
Constellation
ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
Ursa Major
Distance
DistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.
12 million light-years (3.7 Megaparsecs)

About the Data

Data Description
Data DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.
Left Image: This image was created from HST data from proposal 10776 M. Mountain (STScI), J. Gallagher (University of Wisconsin-Madison), P. Puxley (NSF), K. Noll, H. Bond, C. Christian, L. Frattare, F. Hamilton, Z. Levay, M. Mutchler, W. Januszewski, and T. Royle (Hubble Heritage Team/STScI/AURA)

Right Image: This image was created with Webb data from proposal: 1701 (M. Marin). Image processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI).
Instrument
InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
HST>ACS/WFC JWST>NIRCam
Exposure Dates
Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
27-29 March 2006, 5 Janurary 2024
Filters
FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
HST> F435W, F555W, F658N, F814W JWST> F164N, F250W, F335M

Object Name
Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
M82, NGC 3034
Object Description
Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
Starburst Galaxy
Release Date
April 3, 2024
Science Release
NASA’s Webb Probes an Extreme Starburst Galaxy
Read the release
Credit
Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Alberto Bolatto (UMD)

Downloads

Full Res (For Print), 16260 × 7030
tif (206.37 MB)
Full Res (For Display), 16260 × 7030
png (176.1 MB)
2000 × 865
png (3.01 MB)

Left Image: This image is a composite of many separate exposures made by the ACS instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope using several different filters. Three filters sample broad wavelength ranges, one isolates the light of hydrogen. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic image. In this case, the assigned colors are: Blue: F435W, Green: F555W, Red-orange: F658N Red: F814W Right Image: This image is a composite of separate exposures acquired by the James Webb Space Telescope using the NIRCam instrument. Several filters were used to sample varying wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors are: Blue: F164N, Green: F250W, Red: F335M

Related Images & Videos

A section of Messier 82 as imaged by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope.

M82 (NIRCam Image)

Astronomers used the James Webb Space Telescope to look toward M82’s center, where a galactic wind is being launched as a result of rapid star formation and subsequent supernovas. Studying the galactic wind can offer insight into how the loss of gas shapes the future growth of...

M82 (NIRCam Image)

A team of astronomers used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to survey the starburst galaxy Messier 82 (M82), which is located 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. M82 hosts a frenzy of star formation, sprouting new stars 10 times faster than the Milky...