Astronomers utilizing the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have captured a new image of the central region of the Edge-on-Starburst Galaxy Messier 82.
This Hubble image displays Messier 82, a starburst irregular galaxy located 12 million light years away in the Ursa Major constellation. Image credits: NASA/ESA/Hubble/WD Vacca.
Messier 82 is situated roughly 12 million light years from the northern Ursa Major constellation.
Initially identified by German astronomer Johann Erard Bord in 1774, this galaxy spans about 40,000 light years.
Known as the Cigar Galaxy, Messier 82 features an elongated oval shape due to the tilt of its starry disc relative to our view.
This galaxy is renowned for its remarkable pace in star formation, generating stars at a rate ten times faster than that of the Milky Way.
“Messier 82 is home to a stunning star that shines through clouds of gas, dust, and clumps,” remarked the Hubble astronomer.
“It’s not surprising to find that the galaxy is so densely packed with stars.”
“Galaxies that produce stars at a rate ten times faster than the Milky Way are classified as Starburst Galaxies.”
“This vigorous starbursts phase has led to the emergence of superstar clusters at the galaxy’s core.”
“Each of these stellar clusters contains hundreds of thousands of stars, surpassing the brightness of ordinary star clusters.”
Astronomers have employed Hubble to investigate these vast clusters and understand their formation and evolution.
“The image reveals features that were previously unseen in earlier Hubble images of galaxies: data from the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) high-resolution channels,” they noted.
“The high-resolution channel is one of three sub-instruments of the ACS, which was installed in 2002.”
“After five years of operation, the high-resolution channel provided stunning, detailed observations of a dense stellar environment like the heart of the Starburst Galaxy.”
“Unfortunately, an electronic failure in 2007 rendered the high-resolution channel inoperative.”
Source: www.sci.news
