M82：有超级星系风的星系

2023年8月2日

M82: Galaxy with a Supergalactic Wind
NASA, ESA, Hubble; Processing & Copyright: Harshwardhan Pathak

Explanation: Why is the Cigar Galaxy billowing red smoke? M82, as this starburst 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 and dust, however. Evidence indicates that this gas and dust is being driven out by the combined emerging particle winds of many stars, together creating a galactic superwind. The dust particles are thought to originate in M82’s interstellar medium and are actually similar in size to particles in cigar smoke. The featured photographic mosaic highlights a specific color of red light strongly emitted by ionized hydrogen gas, showing detailed filaments of this gas and dust. 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 the Great Bear (Ursa Major).

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Tomorrow’s picture: launch and landing

M82：有超级星系风的星系
NASA, ESA, Hubble; 影像处理与版权: Harshwardhan Pathak

说明: 为何雪茄星系会喷出泛红的烟雾？这个亦名为M82的星爆增星系，受到最近通过附近的大螺旋星系M81之扰动。不过，这并不足以完全解释这些向外扩张的泛红辉光气体之起源。证据显示这些气体，是受到许多恒星粒子风加总起来的星系超级风之驱策才泛流而出。这些尘埃粒子咸信原来是M82的星际物质，而大小还真的和雪茄烟微粒相近。这张美丽的拼接主题影像，突显了电离氢气发出的特定波长红光，以呈现这些伸展长度超过10,000光年的气体和尘埃之细致丝状构造。距离1千2百万光年远的雪茄星系，是红外光波段天空最明亮的星系，而透过光学小望远镜，即可在北天的大熊座方向见到它的身影。