A team of astronomers used NASA's James Webb Space Telescope to study the starburst galaxy Messier 82 (M82). Located in the constellation of the Big Dipper, this galaxy lies 12 million light-years away and is home to star formation activity 10 times faster than our own Milky Way galaxy.

M82 has been observed by both NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope. But Webb's detailed perspective gives us a closer look at the physical details that make new stars form.

Image Descriptions:

1- A cross section of Messier 82 taken by the Webb Telescope. The galaxy stands out clearly against the black background of space. The bright white core shines inside the galaxy and is clearly displayed as a spiral. At the edges of the disc, a white band extends from the bottom left to the top right. Branches of dark brown dust can be seen concentrated along this band. Scattered white dots at various points in the galaxy indicate the presence of stars or star clusters. Towards the centre, a set of stars can be seen glowing faintly bluish-violet. The green regions show concentrations of iron with abundant supernova remnants, while the small red regions show treatment regions illuminated by the radiation of the stars in them.

2- This time, the image, taken by Webb at close interval length, shows the more prominent brown branches of the galactic wind produced by the rapid star formations encompassing M82. However, red filaments running along the galaxy's edge and extending vertically above and below it stand out. In analysing these vendors, Webb has traced polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) through emission from small dusty chemical molecules.