Hidden Details Spotted in Nearby Starburst Galaxy

Astronomers have captured new and surprising details of a nearby starburst galaxy. Using the Green Bank Telescope (GBT), the scientists have uncovered never-before-seen features, such as streamers of material fleeing the disk of the galaxy as well as concentrations of dense molecular gas surrounding pockets of intense star formation.

The starburst galaxy is known as M82. It's located about 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. A classic example of a starburst galaxy, it produces new stars tens to hundreds of times faster than our own galaxy. Because of its relatively near location, the galaxy is a perfect target for GBT's newly equipped W-Band receiver. This instrument is capable of detecting the millimeter wavelength light that's emitted by molecular gas.

"With this new vision, we were able to look at M82 to explore how the distribution of molecular gas in the galaxy corresponded to areas of intense star formation," said Amanda Kepley, one of the researchers, in a news release. "Having this new capability may help us understand why stars form where they do."

While astronomers realize that dense molecular gas is crucial for areas of star formation, this particular connection is poorly understood and the relationship may be different in different types of galaxies. That's why scientists create wide-angle maps of the gas in the galaxies in order to better understand the complex interplay. Now, GBT is offering researchers a way to better map the gas distribution.

"The GBT data clearly show billowing concentrations of dense molecular gas huddled around areas that are undergoing bursts of intense star formation," said Kepley in a news release. "They also reveal giant outflows of ionized gas fleeing the disk of the galaxy. These outflows are driven by star formation deep within the galaxy."

The findings will help astronomers survey entire galaxies and different parts within galaxies. This, in turn, will allow researchers to better understand star formation and learn a bit more about various types of galaxies in our universe.