NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has released new information and images of the spiral galaxy Messier 82 (M82), also known as the Cigar Galaxy. Located 12 million light years from Earth, this galaxy is in an intense phase of star formation, which makes it a unique object of study for the scientific community.
The intense star birth activity in M82 is possibly a result of the merger between galaxies and, in astronomical terms, will be a short-lived phenomenon, estimated to last a few hundred million years. This transient phase of accelerated star formation, in relation to the mass of the galaxy, and its position in the local universe, are crucial elements that consolidate the Cigar Galaxy as an unparalleled cosmic laboratory.
Combined image of M82: The joining of Webb and Hubble
A new composite image of the spiral galaxy Messier 82, seen by NASA’s James Webb and Hubble space telescopes, reveals stunning details. The photograph shows hourglass-shaped plumes of gas extending outward above and below a pale blue, disc-shaped center. Close to the bright center of the galaxy, the plumes take on yellow hues, indicating the presence of ionized hydrogen gas captured by Hubble, and gradually redden as they move away. The backdrop of M82 stands out against the dark vacuum of space, dotted with numerous distant galaxies, visible as small spirals, ovals, and white and orange points of light. To the right of M82, a pale blue star displays the characteristic eight-point diffraction peaks of the Webb telescope.
Experts employed NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to capture images of the star-forming galaxy Messier 82 and reconstruct its development over time. The combined Webb and Hubble image displays approximately 16.5 million stars, visible in pale blue tones, as well as cosmic dust particles in reddish-orange and ionized hydrogen gas in yellow.
A team of astronomers recently completed an extensive imaging survey with the Webb Telescope. This project required a total of 65 hours of observation with Webb’s NIRCam (Near Infrared Camera) instrument, revealing unprecedented details of the intense star-forming galaxy, such as its elongated disk structure and millions of individual stars. Webb’s high-resolution imaging capabilities, especially in the main plane of the galactic disk, have provided essential data for astronomers to unravel the history of M82’s formation. Furthermore, information from Webb will help scientists understand the phenomena currently occurring within the galaxy.
Adam Smercina, principal investigator and NASA Hubble researcher at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, currently an assistant professor at Tufts University in Massachusetts, described M82 as “a mess, but a beautiful mess.” Smercina highlighted that there is still much to be understood about its evolutionary history and what drove such a high rate of star formation, as well as the duration of the ejection of plumes of material from its center. He added that “M82 is an ideal laboratory for galactic evolution, as it has characteristics that allow us to investigate important physical processes such as star formation in these environments and how this activity generates outflows. M82 offers a simultaneous window into diverse astrophysical questions in a way that no other galaxy in the local universe can.”
Details of the Cigar Galaxy in the NIRCam image
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope recorded the spiral galaxy Messier 82, featuring hourglass-shaped plumes of red-orange material projecting up and down from a bright, pale blue, disc-shaped center. Messier 82 is framed by the dark background of space, dotted with countless distant galaxies that appear as tiny spirals, ovals, and white and orange points of light. To the right of the Cigar Galaxy, a pale blue star displays Webb’s distinctive eight-pointed features, resulting from the diffraction of light.
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, NASA observed the star-forming galaxy Messier 82, penetrating the dense cosmic dust to reveal 16.5 million stars and the galaxy’s elongated disk structure. The scientists’ goal is to use Webb’s data to deepen knowledge about the evolutionary history of M82.
Before Webb’s arrival, the star-forming galaxy was observed by several other telescopes, including NASA’s Hubble and the now-retired Spitzer. However, the enormous amount of dust present in M82 prevented astronomers from obtaining high-resolution information. Although Webb had previously explored this galaxy, the extent of this new imaging survey, coupled with the telescope’s infrared sensitivity, allowed it to pierce through the thick curtain of dust and reveal previously hidden details.
Visual comparison: Hubble and Webb in Messier 82
A side-by-side comparison of a section of the star-forming galaxy Messier 82 (M82), captured by NASA’s Hubble (left) and James Webb (right) space telescopes, demonstrates the difference in observational capability. The Hubble image, in visible light, shows an intense bluish light emanating from the center and a dense band of dust, dark in the center and reddish at the edges, that crosses the scene diagonally. Finer filaments and clumps of reddish dust cover much of the view. The Webb image, in infrared light, reveals a dense area of stars, illustrated as luminous grains in light blue, on the dark background of space. On the right side, clumped red material is most visible in the upper right corner.
This comparative analysis of a part of the Messier 82 galaxy, observed by the Hubble and James Webb telescopes, highlights the complementary capabilities of each. Hubble dedicated itself to detailing the gas and dust structure of M82, while Webb was able to pierce through the dust and distinguish millions of stars in infrared light.
The telescope’s view in near-infrared light is a snapshot of a scenario that has unfolded over a few hundred million years. The Webb image reveals approximately 16.5 million individual stars scattered throughout the galaxy. The light emitted by these stellar sources is presented as luminous blue granules. It’s important to note that this is just a fraction of the total number of stars that astronomers estimate exist in a galaxy like M82, with most of them being too faint to be observed.
“The sheer number of stars we’ve been able to discern with Webb is unbelievable,” said team member Benjamin Williams from the University of Washington. He concluded by saying that “It’s a totally different world from what we’ve seen with other telescopes. All of these stars, together, provide a detailed fossil record of the formation and evolution of M82.”
Looking inside the galaxy, the increased luminosity and asymmetric shape of the galactic disk suggest a unique underlying structure of the spiral galaxy. The differences in radii between the two sides indicate that M82 has a distorted shape, a phenomenon that can occur during intense galaxy mergers.
Team member Eric Bell of the University of Michigan noted that “At first glance, the galaxy’s disk may appear less spectacular because Webb sees through the dust.” He added, however, that “M82 is a delightfully complex system. Webb’s observations will help us unravel some lingering mysteries, such as how star formation has shifted within M82 over the past billion years.”
Video shows image transition between Webb and Hubble of M82
The recent observation of M82 by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope using near-infrared light represents the newest contribution to the overall data on this intense star-forming galaxy. The Hubble Space Telescope is one of the observatories that has previously analyzed M82, detailing its gas and dust structure visible in light.
Due to extreme star formation in the galaxy, which occurs at a rate ten times that of the Milky Way, star birth will eventually come to a halt. M82’s intense stellar frenzy is causing bipolar plumes of material to be ejected up and down the disk. Despite appearing to be a chaotic region, these hourglass-shaped flows reveal a layered structure. The yellowish filaments of material closer to the galaxy’s disk indicate ionized gas, while the more distant orange material represents small dust grains. These grains are known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and are valuable for tracking matter in the space between the stars of the galaxy, called the interstellar medium.
The data collected in this Webb study is just one part of the vast array of information that scientists will analyze in an attempt to reconstruct the formation history of this intense star-forming galaxy.
Kristen McQuinn, a team member at the Space Telescope Science Institute, stated that “Galaxies are such intricate ecosystems that if you really want to understand them, you need to bring together datasets from different missions.” She explained that “A single mission cannot fully answer all the questions we have about M82. Combining the data collected by different telescopes, such as Webb and Hubble, is extremely powerful. By uniting the datasets, we expand what we can investigate and the questions we can ask become even more complex.”
The James Webb Space Telescope is considered the world’s premier space science observatory. With its advanced capabilities, Webb has unlocked mysteries in our solar system, explored distant worlds around other stars, and investigated the enigmatic structures of the universe.