Cigar Galaxy (M82). Composite image of the Cigar Galaxy (M82) starburst galaxy, showing its magnetic field (shown as streamlines), which appears to fo

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Cigar Galaxy (M82). Composite image of the Cigar Galaxy (M82) starburst galaxy, showing its magnetic field (shown as streamlines), which appears to follow the bipolar outflows (red) generated by the intense nuclear starburst. M82 lies around 12 million light-years from Earth, in the constellation Ursa Major. Image obtained by combining visible starlight (grey) and a tracing of hydrogen gas (red) observed by the Kitt Peak Observatory, with near-infrared and mid-infrared starlight and dust (yellow) from the SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) project and the Spitzer Space Telescope.

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Size: 3600px × 2557px
Photo credit: © NASA/SOFIA/E. Lopez-Rodriguez; NASA/Spitzer/J. Moustakas et al./SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: -, astronomical, astronomy, astrophysical, astrophysics, background, bipolar, black, composite, field, fields, image, infrared, ir, kitt, m82, magnetic, magnetism, nuclear, observation, observatory, optical, outflow, outflows, peak, sofia, space, spitzer, star, starburst, stratospheric, telescope