Messier 82
| Messier 82 | |
|---|---|
A mosaic image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope of Messier 82, combining exposures taken with four colored filters that capture starlight from visible and infrared wavelengths as well as the light from the glowing hydrogen filaments | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Right ascension | 09h 55m 52.2s |
| Declination | +69° 40′ 47″ |
| Redshift | 203±4 km/s |
| Distance | 11.4–12.4 Mly (3.5–3.8 Mpc) |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 8.41 |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | I0 |
| Size | 12.52 kiloparsecs (40,800 light-years) (diameter; 25.0 mag/arcsec2 B-band isophote) |
| Apparent size (V) | 11.2′ × 4.3′ |
| Notable features | Edge-on starburst galaxy |
| Other designations | |
| NGC 3034, UGC 5322, Arp 337, Cigar Galaxy, PGC 28655, 3C 231 | |
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Messier 82 (also known as NGC 3034, Cigar Galaxy or M82) is a starburst galaxy approximately 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. It is the second-largest member of the M81 Group, with the D25 isophotal diameter of 12.52 kiloparsecs (40,800 light-years). It is about five times more luminous than the Milky Way and its central region is about one hundred times more luminous. The starburst activity is thought to have been triggered by interaction with neighboring galaxy M81. As one of the closest starburst galaxies to Earth, M82 is the prototypical example of this galaxy type. SN 2014J, a type Ia supernova, was discovered in the galaxy on 21 January 2014. In 2014, in studying M82, scientists discovered the brightest pulsar yet known, designated M82 X-2.
In November 2023, a gamma-ray burst was observed in M82, which was determined to have come from a magnetar, the first such event detected outside the Milky Way (and only the fourth such event ever detected).