The Cigar Galaxy: M82 (Hubble and Webb)

Edge-on spiral galaxy Messier 82 (M82) has been an object of study by many observatories over the years, including the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and most recently the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope.

This side-by-side comparison shows the same region of M82 as seen by Hubble (left) and Webb (right). Hubble’s visible-light view is limited because of the amount of dust within M82, which shrouds the galaxy’s details. Bright, bluish light radiating from the centre is due to star formation. A notable thick lane of dust, black in the centre and red around the edges, diagonally stretches across the scene. Thinner strands and clumps of reddish dust cover the majority of the view.

With its ability to observe the near-infrared Universe, Webb can pierce through the dusty environment of M82 and reveal what was once hidden to astronomers. With Webb, millions of individual stars within M82’s heart (seen here as luminous blue-white granules) are resolved in unprecedented clarity. Red-orange clumps, most noticeable toward the right, are small dust grains.

[Image description: A side-by-side comparison of a portion of starburst galaxy Messier 82 (M82) as seen by Hubble (left) and Webb (right). The left image is labeled “Hubble” and the right image is labeled “Webb.” Hubble’s visible-light view at left shows bright, bluish light radiating from the centre and a thick lane of dust, black in the centre and red around the edges, diagonally stretching across the scene. Thinner strands and clumps of reddish dust cover the majority of the view. Webb’s infrared-light view at right shows a dense area of stars, depicted as luminous blue-white grains, against the black background of space. Toward the right side is clumpy red material, which is most visible toward the top right corner.]