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Credit & Copyright: NASA,
ESA,
CSA,
A. Smercina (STScI, Tufts),
T. Williams (U. Manchester);
Image Processing:
A. Pagan (STScI)
Explanation:
Why is the Cigar Galaxy billowing red smoke?
M82, as this
starburst galaxy is also known, was stirred up by a
recent pass near large
spiral galaxy
M81.
This doesn't fully
explain
the source of the red-glowing outwardly
expanding gas and dust, however.
Evidence indicates that this gas and dust is being
driven out by the combined emerging
particle winds of many stars, together creating a galactic
superwind.
The dust particles are
thought to originate
in M82's interstellar medium and are actually
similar in size to particles in cigar smoke.
The featured photographic mosaic combines images taken in
visible light from the
Hubble Space Telescope and images taken in
infrared light from
James Webb Space Telescope.
It shows the light-colored central galaxy nearly
edge on across the
image center with tremendous orange and red colored
filaments of gas and dust
extending both up and down.
The filaments extend for over 10,000
light years.
The 12-million light-year distant
Cigar Galaxy is the
brightest galaxy in the sky in infrared light and can be seen in visible light with a small
telescope towards the constellation of the Great Bear
(Ursa Major).
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NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day