Astronomy Picture of the Day

M82: Galaxy with a Supergalactic Wind


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#86050 by @ 26.04.2006 00:00 - nach oben -
M82: Galaxy with a Supergalactic Wind


Explanation:
What's lighting up the Cigar Galaxy?

M82, as this
irregular 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, however.

Recent evidence indicates that this gas
is being driven out by the combined emerging
particle winds of many stars, together creating a
galactic "superwind."

The
above photographic mosaic, released yesterday to commemorate the
sixteenth anniversary of the
Hubble Space Telescope,
highlights a specific color of red light strongly emitted by ionized
hydrogen gas, showing detailed filaments of this gas.

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
Ursa Major.




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