Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                2026 June 29
   [2]A starfield surrounds an unusual object with a band of diffuse white
   crossing horizontally. Emanating out from the band toward both the top
   and the bottom of the frame is an orange and red nebula. Please see the
                 explanation for more detailed information.

                    M82: Galaxy with a Supergalactic Wind
    Image Credit: [3]NASA, [4]ESA, [5]CSA, [6]A. Smercina (STScI, Tufts),
    [7]T. Williams (U. Manchester); Image Processing: [8]A. Pagan (STScI)

   Explanation: Why is the Cigar Galaxy billowing red smoke? [9]M82, as
   this [10]starburst galaxy is also known, was stirred up by a [11]recent
   pass near large [12]spiral galaxy [13]M81. This doesn't fully
   [14]explain the source of the red-glowing outwardly [15]expanding gas
   and dust, however. [16]Evidence indicates that this gas and dust is
   being driven out by the combined emerging [17]particle winds of many
   stars, together creating a galactic [18]superwind. The dust particles
   are [19]thought to originate in M82's interstellar medium and are
   actually [20]similar in size to particles in cigar smoke. The
   [21]featured photographic mosaic combines images taken in [22]visible
   light from the [23]Hubble Space Telescope and images taken in
   [24]infrared light from [25]James Webb Space Telescope. It shows the
   light-colored central galaxy nearly [26]edge on across the image center
   with tremendous orange and red colored filaments of gas and dust
   [27]extending both up and down. The filaments extend for over 10,000
   [28]light years. The 12-million light-year distant [29]Cigar Galaxy is
   the brightest galaxy in the sky in [30]infrared light and can be seen
   in visible light with a small [31]telescope towards the
   [32]constellation of the Great Bear ([33]Ursa Major).

                     Tomorrow's picture: smooth asteroid
     __________________________________________________________________

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    Authors & editors: [45]Robert Nemiroff ([46]MTU) & [47]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([48]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [49]Specific rights apply.
            [50]NASA Web Privacy, [51]Accessibility, [52]Notices;
                A service of: [53]ASD at [54]NASA / [55]GSFC,
                         [56]NASA Science Activation
                           & [57]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2606/M82_HubbleWebb_5000.jpg
   3. https://www.nasa.gov/
   4. https://www.esa.int/
   5. https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/
   6. https://www.stsci.edu/stsci-research/research-directory/adam-smercina
   7. https://sites.google.com/view/thomaswilliamsastro
   8. https://www.friendsofnasa.org/2023/03/behind-mission-alyssa-pagan-james-webb.html
   9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_82
  10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starburst_galaxy
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250507.html
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/spiral_galaxies.html
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250327.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240415.html
  15. https://youtu.be/WOLUDpYhzp0?t=34
  16. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1999ApJ...523..575L/abstract
  17. https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/news-articles/effects-of-the-solar-wind
  18. http://ned.ipac.caltech.edu/level5/March01/Heckman/frames.html
  19. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2019PASJ...71...87Y/abstract
  20. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26058972
  21. https://science.nasa.gov/asset/webb/m82-cigar-galaxy-webb-hubble/
  22. https://science.nasa.gov/ems/09_visiblelight/
  23. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/
  24. https://science.nasa.gov/ems/07_infraredwaves/
  25. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250904.html
  27. https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https://i.redd.it/g0gsyf954m261.jpg
  28. https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/light-year/
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap040601.html
  30. https://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/page/what_is_infrared
  31. https://science.howstuffworks.com/telescope.htm
  32. https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/constellations/
  33. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ursa_Major
  34. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260628.html
  35. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  36. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  37. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  38. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  39. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  40. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  41. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  42. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  43. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=260629
  44. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260630.html
  45. https://www.mtu.edu/physics/department/faculty/nemiroff/
  46. https://www.mtu.edu/physics/
  47. https://inspirehep.net/authors/1073087
  48. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  49. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  50. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  51. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  52. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  53. https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/astrophysics/
  54. https://www.nasa.gov/
  55. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  56. https://science.nasa.gov/learn/about-science-activation/
  57. http://www.mtu.edu/