simple facts
What it is: M82, an edge-on spiral starburst galaxy
Location: Ursa Major, 12 million light years away
Share date: October 23, 2025
If you have a small telescope in your backyard, there’s a good chance you’ve seen the Cigar Galaxy (M82) with your own eyes. It is relatively close to the Milky Way and is one of the brightest galaxies in the night sky, as well as visible next to the Bode galaxy (M81). M82 is a spiral galaxy that is about four times smaller than the Milky Way, shines five times brighter, and forms stars 10 times faster, which is why it is called a starburst galaxy.
The center of M82 is an active site containing more than 100 superclusters, some of which are still being born in dense gas clouds. Each supercluster contains hundreds of thousands of stars. The reason for M82’s burst of star formation is probably its neighbor M81, which may have interacted with its gravity. As a result, gas from M81 invades the center of M82, spurring increased star formation despite the galaxy’s small size.
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Scientists can also see the glow from the plume of organic molecules in this image. This wide plume, 160 light-years in diameter, is made up of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that are swept away from the galactic disk by powerful outflow winds generated by M82’s superstar cluster.
For stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere, M81 and M82 are spectacular sights in the northern skies during fall and winter. Both galaxies can be spotted as small, diffuse specks of light northwest of Dubhe, the bright star that marks the edge of the Big Dipper’s bowl. Through a small backyard telescope, these two neighboring galaxies can be seen together in the same field of view.
For more sublime space images, check out this week’s space photo archive.
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