A group of astronomers used the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope to explore the starry galaxy Messier 82 (M82), located 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. M82 is a center of intense star formation, producing new stars at a rate ten times faster than our Milky Way galaxy. Using Webb's infrared capabilities, scientists were able to peer through the veils of dust and gas that typically obscure the star formation process.

The image captured by Webb's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) instrument provides an unprecedented level of detail of the M82's core. Thanks to Webb's high resolution, astronomers can discern small light sources that are either individual stars or clusters. By accurately counting the stars and clusters in M82's core, astronomers aim to understand the different stages of star formation and their time frames.

In this image, light at 2.12 microns is shown in red, 1.64 microns in green, and 1.40 microns in blue, using the F212N, 164N, and F140M filters, respectively.

Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, A. Bolatto (UMD)

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