4 min readNew DelhiJun 30, 2026 09:11 AM IST
First published on: Jun 29, 2026 at 04:49 PM IST
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured its most detailed infrared view yet of the starburst galaxy Messier 82 (M82), popularly known as the Cigar Galaxy, revealing around 16.5 million individual stars previously hidden behind thick clouds of cosmic dust. The observations are expected to help astronomers reconstruct the galaxy’s formation history and better understand the processes driving its rapid star formation.
Located around 12 million light-years from Earth, Messier 82 is currently undergoing an intense phase of star formation believed to have been triggered by a past interaction or merger with another galaxy. NASA said the galaxy’s current burst of star formation is estimated to last only a few hundred million years, making it a relatively short-lived phase in cosmic terms.
The latest observations were made during a 65-hour imaging survey using Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), allowing scientists to peer through dense clouds and capture the clearest view yet of the galaxy’s interior.
The hidden heart of Messier 82
Unlike visible-light telescopes, Webb observes in the infrared spectrum, enabling it to penetrate dust that previously obscured much of M82’s central region. The new images reveal approximately 16.5 million individual stars, the galaxy’s distorted disk structure and massive plumes of gas and dust extending above and below its disk.
NASA said the composite images, created using observations from Webb and the Hubble Space Telescope, depict stars in blue-white, dust grains in red-orange and ionised hydrogen gas in yellow. Although the newly resolved stars represent only a fraction of the galaxy’s total stellar population, researchers said they provide a detailed record of the galaxy’s evolution.
The observations also show that M82’s disk is asymmetrical, suggesting it was significantly distorted during a past galactic merger. Scientists added that the galaxy is producing stars at nearly 10 times the rate of the Milky Way. However, the same stellar activity is also driving powerful outflows that will eventually deplete the gas needed for future star formation.
Astronomers say M82 offers one of the best nearby laboratories for studying how galaxy mergers trigger bursts of star formation and how those events shape the long-term evolution of galaxies.
The Webb observations also complement decades of data collected by the Hubble Space Telescope. By combining infrared and visible-light observations, researchers can better understand how stars, gas and dust interact during one of the most energetic phases in a galaxy’s lifecycle.
“M82 is a mess, but it’s a beautiful mess. We don’t fully understand what’s going on, especially concerning its evolutionary history,” Adam Smercina, a principal investigator and NASA Hubble Fellow at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, US, was quoted as saying.
He added that the galaxy provides an ideal environment for studying how stars form in extreme conditions and how such activity drives material away from a galaxy’s centre.
Meanwhile, Eric Bell of the University of Michigan said Webb’s ability to see through dust would help researchers answer longstanding questions about how star formation has shifted across the galaxy over billions of years. Kristen McQuinn of the Space Telescope Science Institute added that combining observations from multiple space telescopes allows scientists to ask more complex questions than any single mission could answer.
Scientists describe M82 as a unique nearby laboratory because it combines an exceptionally high rate of star formation, evidence of a past galactic merger and powerful gas outflows within a single system.
(This article has been curated by Shivani P Menon, who is an intern with The Indian Express)
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope captured its most detailed infrared view of Messier 82, revealing around 16.5 million stars hidden behind thick clouds of cosmic dust. (Image: NASA) 
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