Cigar Galaxy
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- For the rifle, see M82 (rifle)
The Cigar Galaxy (also known as Irregular Galaxy M82, Messier Object 82, Messier 82, M82, or NGC 3034) is a starburst galaxy in the Ursa Major constellation.
The Chandra X-ray Observatory detected fluctuating X-ray emissions from the sector, approximately 600 light-years away from the centre of the messier object — around 12 million light-years from Earth. Astronomers have postulated that M82 would contain the first known mid-mass black hole, of roughly 500 solar masses.
Many speculate that the Cigar galaxy, classified as Irr-II (Irregular galaxy type II - no organization whatsoever), is actually a barred spiral galaxy seen edge on, with gravitational distortions and massive dust lanes, presenting an irregular morphology to us.
Related topics
External links
- M82, SEDS Messier pages (http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m082.html)de:Messier 82