An image of the M82 galaxy taken by the James Webb Space Telescope. Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Dr Alberto Bolatto (UMD)
James Webb was used to peer into the murky depths of M82, a galaxy that is sprouting new stars 10 times faster than our own Milky Way.
The James Webb Space Telescope has turned its gaze to a relatively compact but highly active galaxy, to learn more about the formation of new stars.
The powerful space observatory was used to learn more about Messier 82 – or M82 – a galaxy that is roughly 12m light years away. M82 is described as a ‘starburst galaxy’, which means it is undergoing an extremely high rate of star formation.
Researchers looking at M82 believe the galaxy is sprouting new stars 10 times faster than our own Milky Way. This starburst galaxy has been observed by other telescopes in the past such as Hubble, but Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) is able to peer deeper into the galaxy’s centre to learn more about the star formation.
“M82 has garnered a variety of observations over the years because it can be considered as the prototypical starburst galaxy,” said Dr Alberto Bolatto, who led the new study. “With Webb’s size and resolution, we can look at this star-forming galaxy and see all of this beautiful, new detail.”
Images of M82 taken by the Hubble and Webb space telescopes. The white square on the Hubble image represents the centre of the galaxy observed in the Webb image. Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Dr Alberto Bolatto (UMD).
Using NIRCam, the team was able to look deep into the murky centre of the galaxy while ensuring that the brightness did not disrupt the image. These images revealed clumpy tendrils – represented in red – that can be seen extending above and below the galaxy’s plane. The researchers said this is galactic wind rushing out from the core of the galaxy.
By seeing more of the centre of M82, the team is able to examine where the wind originates and gain insight into how hot and cold components interact within the wind.
NASA said Webb’s observations of M82 have created further questions about star formation and it is hoped that additional data – from this galaxy and another starburst galaxy – will answer those questions. The researchers have nearly finalised two other papers on stellar clusters and correlations with wind components.
“Webb’s observation of M82, a target closer to us, is a reminder that the telescope excels at studying galaxies at all distances,” Bolatto said. “In addition to looking at young, high-redshift galaxies, we can look at targets closer to home to gather insight into the processes that are happening here – events that also occurred in the early universe.”
The James Webb Space Telescope continues to deliver new insights and open new questions about the universe. Last month, a study that looked at combined readings from Hubble and Webb suggested there is something we don’t understand when it comes to how fast the universe is expanding.
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