Subaru Gallery
Subaru Gallery TOPIrregular Galaxy (Starburst Galaxy) M82
April 26, 2026
Last updated: April 29, 2026
Last updated: April 29, 2026
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This image captures the irregular galaxy M82 in the constellation Ursa Major with the Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC). The bluish-white region extending toward the upper right traces the galaxy’s disk, while the filamentary structures stretching toward the upper left and lower right are “galactic winds,” streams of hot gas flowing outward.
Although the gas in these winds emits red H-alpha light, it appears green here because the default RGB color composite used in HSC images is green. The galaxy’s central region, where star formation is occurring at an exceptionally high rate, is heavily obscured by dust and cannot be seen in visible light. On the left side of the image, a faint, stream-like arrangement of blue stars is visible. Could these stars have formed within the galactic wind?
For more details on the default RGB color composite used in HSC images, please refer to the caption for “The Twin Galaxies NGC 4496A and NGC 4496B.”
【Distance from Earth】12 million light-years
【Instrument】Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC)
This image captures the irregular galaxy M82 in the constellation Ursa Major with the Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC). The bluish-white region extending toward the upper right traces the galaxy’s disk, while the filamentary structures stretching toward the upper left and lower right are “galactic winds,” streams of hot gas flowing outward.
Although the gas in these winds emits red H-alpha light, it appears green here because the default RGB color composite used in HSC images is green. The galaxy’s central region, where star formation is occurring at an exceptionally high rate, is heavily obscured by dust and cannot be seen in visible light. On the left side of the image, a faint, stream-like arrangement of blue stars is visible. Could these stars have formed within the galactic wind?
For more details on the default RGB color composite used in HSC images, please refer to the caption for “The Twin Galaxies NGC 4496A and NGC 4496B.”
【Distance from Earth】12 million light-years
【Instrument】Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC)
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