Forming stars 10× faster than the Milky Way: ESA releases gorgeous image of starburst galaxy

The Messier 82 galaxy (also known as NGC 3034) is a galaxy located just 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major (The Great Bear). Messier 82 is known for its elongated bar shape. This gives it a cigar-like appearance. Hence, it is commonly called the Cigar Galaxy.

Messier 82 is no stranger to space telescopes like James Webb and Hubble. However, this new image features data not released in previous images. The image features data from the High Resolution Channel of the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS).

ACS is a Hubble instrument that captures images in ultraviolet, visible, and infrared wavelengths. It has three sub-instruments. The High Resolution Channel is one of them. The High Resolution Channel, however, was only functional from 2002 to 2007.

Observations of Messier 82 have constantly revealed that it is packed with stars. Scientists have found that it has so many stars because of its high star formation rate. This fast star-forming rate has given rise to super star clusters within the galaxy.

It is estimated that Messier 82 forms stars 10 times faster than the Milky Way does. Unsurprisingly, this galactic neighbor is also about five times more luminous than the Milky Way.

This Hubble Picture of the Week image shows bluish light at the center. This represents active star formation. The image also shows dark dust clouds. These clouds are black in the center and red around the edges. The clouds cover much of the light from the stars.

Scientists continue to use Hubble to view regions like this in a bid to understand more about star formation and evolution.

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