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Hubble’s view of Cigar Galaxy on sixteenth mission anniversary

24 April 2006

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This mosaic image of the magnificent starburst galaxy, Messier 82 (M82) is the sharpest wide-angle view ever obtained of M82. It is a galaxy remarkable for its webs of shredded clouds and flame-like plumes of glowing hydrogen blasting out from its central regions where young stars are being born ten times faster than they are inside in our Milky Way Galaxy.

The six-image composite mosaic was assembled with images taken with four coloured filters by the the Advanced Camera for Surveys’ Wide Field Channel on board the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, in March 2006.

Credits: NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

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This mosaic image of the magnificent starburst galaxy, Messier 82 (M82) is the sharpest wide-angle view ever obtained of M82.This image shows the location of three close-up views.

The complete six-image composite mosaic was assembled with images taken with four coloured filters by the the Advanced Camera for Surveys’ Wide Field Channel on board the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, in March 2006.

Credits: NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

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Close-up of some of the most interesting parts of the Hubble Space Telescope image of the active galaxy Messier 82 (M82), taken in March 2006.

Left: A portion of M82’s bluish disk, largely composed of hot young stars. Numerous bright blue-white star-forming clumps and wisps of darker, cooler dust and gas appear superimposed on the disk.

Centre: The central "inner-city" portion of the galaxy shows the combined light of countless stars and reveals numerous star-forming clumps, dark red clouds of gas and dust obscuring the light from the galaxy’s core, and an overall field of fainter red (cooler) and blue (hotter) stars.

Credits: NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

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The spiral galaxy M81 and the neighbour galaxy M82

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The spiral galaxy M81 and the neighbour galaxy M82 are forming a physical pair. A few tens of million years ago, the smaller M82 collided with M81. This gravitational interaction deformed M82 and caused its concentrated burst of star formation.

Credits: ESA/Hubble and Digitized Sky Survey 2

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