“James Webb” reveals images of the extreme galaxy “M82” Crazy stars of creation: PPTVHD36

The team of astronomers used NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). To explore the stellar galaxy Messier 82, or M82, which is 12 million light-years away from the Ursa Major constellation.

This galaxy is relatively small but teeming with frenetic star formation activity, with M82 producing new stars ten times faster than our own Milky Way.

The research team, led by Alberto Pollato of the University of Maryland, used the Webb Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) instrument to look into the center of the galaxy. Which other space telescopes cannot see through the opaque dust veil.

As a result, scientists were able to closely monitor the physical conditions that facilitate the formation of new stars.

“M82 has been observed several times over the years,” Bolato said. “Because it is considered a prototype of a starburst galaxy. Both the Spitzer and Hubble space telescopes have previously observed this target. Because of the size and resolution of the web, we can look at star-forming galaxies and see all these Beautiful new details.

Webb reveals the details: In the center of the galaxy M82 there is a small green dot indicating a region of concentrated iron. Most of them are supernova remnants, and the small spots that appear in red indicate areas where hydrogen molecules have brightened due to the radiation of nearby young stars.

Rebecca Levy from the University of Arizona, one of the researchers, said: “This image shows the power of the Web. Every white dot in this image could be a star or a group of stars.” We can begin to discern the source of these tiny specks, allowing us to accurately count all the star clusters in this galaxy.

M82 is seen at slightly longer infrared wavelengths. Red tendrils can be seen extending above and below the plane of the galaxy. These gas streams are galactic winds emerging from the core of star explosions.

One focus of this research team is understanding galactic winds, which result from the rapid rate of star formation and subsequent supernovae. How is it released and affects the surrounding environment? By fixing the central part of M82, scientists can determine the source of the wind. And gain insight into how hot and cold elements interact within galactic winds.

Webb's NIRCam instrument is well suited to tracking the structure of galactic winds through radiation from sooty chemical molecules called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH).

PAHs can be thought of as microscopic dust grains that can survive at cold temperatures. But it will be destroyed in hot conditions.

The team was very surprised. This is because Webb's view on PAH emissions emphasizes the structure of the galactic wind. This was a previously unknown aspect, and they also found similar structures between PAH emissions and hot ionized gases.

“It was unexpected to see a PAH release similar to that of ionized gas,” Bolato said. “PAH should not have a long lifetime when exposed to such a strong radiation field. So perhaps it is being replenished all the time. It challenges our theory and shows us that more study is needed.”

Webb's observations of M82 also raise additional questions about star formation. These are some of the questions that the research team hopes to answer through the data collected from the web.

In the near future, the research team will use Webb spectroscopy to monitor M82, and the spectroscopic data will help astronomers determine the cluster's exact age. And help determine the timing of how long each stage of star formation takes in the galactic stellar environment.

Examining activity in galaxies like M82 could deepen astronomers' understanding of the early universe.

Bolato said. “Webb's observation of M82 is a reminder that this telescope excels at studying galaxies from all distances… as well as seeing young and distant galaxies. We can also look at targets closer to home to glean insights into the processes taking place here. It is also an event that occurred in… Early universe.

Compiled from NASA