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.
Galaxy visible in the background as a disc is a Bode's galaxy (Messier 81). It is located only 160 000 light years away from Cigar galaxy. Other two galaxies visible are:
- Holmberg IX - dwarf irregular galaxy - 140 000 ly away from M82 (visible near top edge of frame)
- NGC 2976 - small spiral galaxy - 420 000 ly away from M82 (visible to the right from M81)
Speed of camera in this video is around 1.69 light-years per second
1.69 ly/sec = 53 332 344 c = 57 559 084 194 000 000 kph
Lenght of camera path is around 36 500 light-years
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