M82, also known as the Cigar Galaxy, is a spiral galaxy located in the constellation Ursa Major, about 12 million light-years away from Earth. It is a member of the M81 Group, a group of galaxies. Below a summary description from various sources:
- Galaxy Type: M82 is classified as an irregular starburst galaxy. It has undergone intense star formation activity, which is evident from its irregular shape and the presence of numerous young, hot stars.
- Distinctive Appearance: M82 is known for its irregular and distorted appearance, caused by gravitational interactions with its larger neighbor, the spiral galaxy M81. These interactions have triggered intense bursts of star formation in M82, resulting in a high concentration of hot, young stars.
- Starburst Activity: M82 is one of the nearest examples of a starburst galaxy, where stars are forming at an exceptionally high rate compared to typical galaxies. This intense star formation is fueled by large reservoirs of gas and dust within the galaxy, which are being consumed at a rapid pace.
- Dust Lanes and Filaments: M82 exhibits prominent dust lanes and filaments, which are illuminated by the young, massive stars embedded within them. These features are particularly noticeable in images taken at infrared and radio wavelengths.
- Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN): M82 hosts a compact and energetic core, known as an active galactic nucleus (AGN). The AGN is powered by a supermassive black hole at the galaxy's center, which is accreting matter and emitting intense radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum.
- Supernova Explosions: M82 is also known for its frequent supernova explosions.
The objective of this project was to illustrate the beautiful complexity of the galaxy, to show the massive Ha extensions emanting from the nucleus and to show the presence of the surrounding IFN. Of course all these signals have very different intensities, thus I had to play a lot on the signal stretching of the individual channels. The Ha was the most challanging, as in reality the galaxy has a very strong emission within the main body. So, to show the extensions I had to artificially dim the signal from the main body of the galaxy. The IFN dust is also very faint, thus I had also to stretch it from the main body of the galaxy as well. This image is therefore a representation of very peculiar phenomena within this region.
As usual don't hesitate to provide constructive feedback.
CS,
Nicola
Comments