M82: Galaxy on Fire! NASA's Spitzer Reveals Stellar Smoke

News Release: 2006-037
Galaxy on Fire! NASA's Spitzer Reveals Stellar Smoke

Where there's smoke, there's fire – even in outer space. A new infrared
image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows a burning hot galaxy
whose fiery stars appear to be blowing out giant billows of smoky dust.

The galaxy, called Messier 82, or the "Cigar galaxy," was previously known
to host a hotbed of young, massive stars. The new Spitzer image reveals,
for the first time, the "smoke" surrounding those stellar fires.

"We've never seen anything like this," said Dr. Charles Engelbracht of the
University of Arizona, Tucson. "This unusual galaxy has ejected an enormous
amount of dust to cover itself with a cloud brighter than any we've seen
around other galaxies."

The false-colored view, online at http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media ,
shows Messier 82, an irregular-shaped galaxy positioned on its side, as a
diffuse bar of blue light. Fanning out from its top and bottom like the wings
of a butterfly are huge red clouds of dust believed to contain a compound
similar to car exhaust.

The smelly material, called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, can be found on
Earth in tailpipes, barbecue pits and other places where combustion reactions
have occurred. In galaxies, the stuff is created by stars, whose winds and
radiation blow the material out into space.

"Usually you see smoke before a fire, but we knew about the fire in this galaxy
before Spitzer's infrared eyes saw the smoke," said Dr. David Leisawitz, Spitzer
program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

These hazy clouds are some of the biggest ever seen around a galaxy. They
stretch out 20,000 light-years away from the galactic plane in both directions,
far beyond where stars are found.

Previous observations of Messier 82 had revealed two cone-shaped clouds of very
hot gas projecting outward below and above the center of galaxy. Spitzer's
sensitive infrared vision allowed astronomers to see the galaxy's dust.

"Spitzer showed us a dust halo all around this galaxy," said Engelbracht.
"We still don't understand why the dust is all over the place and not cone-shaped."

Cone-shaped clouds of dust around this galaxy would have indicated that its
central, massive stars had sprayed the dust into space. Instead, Engelbracht
and his team believe stars throughout the galaxy are sending off the "smoke signals."

Messier 82 is located about 12 million light-years away in the Ursa Major constellation.
It is undergoing a renaissance of star birth in its middle age, with the most intense
bursts of star formation taking place at its core. The galaxy's interaction with its
neighbor, a larger galaxy called Messier 81, is the cause of all the stellar ruckus.
Our own Milky Way galaxy is a less hectic place, with dust confined to the galactic plane.

The findings will appear in an upcoming issue of the Astrophysical Journal. Other
authors who contributed significantly to this work are Praveen Kundurthy and Dr.
Karl Gordon, both of the University of Arizona. The image was taken as a part of the
Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxy Survey, which is led by Dr. Robert Kennicutt, also of
the University of Arizona.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the Spitzer Space Telescope mission for
NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Science operations are conducted
at the Spitzer Science Center at Caltech. JPL is a division of Caltech.

For more information about Spitzer, visit http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/spitzer.
For more information about NASA and agency programs on the Web,
visit http://www.nasa.gov/home/.

"Sam Wormley" wrote in message
...

News Release: 2006-037
Galaxy on Fire! NASA's Spitzer Reveals Stellar Smoke

Where there's smoke, there's fire – even in outer space. A new infrared
image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows a burning hot galaxy
whose fiery stars appear to be blowing out giant billows of smoky dust.

The galaxy, called Messier 82, or the "Cigar galaxy," was previously
known
to host a hotbed of young, massive stars. The new Spitzer image reveals,
for the first time, the "smoke" surrounding those stellar fires.

"We've never seen anything like this," said Dr. Charles Engelbracht of
the
University of Arizona, Tucson. "This unusual galaxy has ejected an
enormous
amount of dust to cover itself with a cloud brighter than any we've seen
around other galaxies."

The false-colored view, online at http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media ,
shows Messier 82, an irregular-shaped galaxy positioned on its side, as
a
diffuse bar of blue light. Fanning out from its top and bottom like the
wings
of a butterfly are huge red clouds of dust believed to contain a compound
similar to car exhaust.

The smelly material, called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, can be found
on
Earth in tailpipes, barbecue pits and other places where combustion
reactions
have occurred. In galaxies, the stuff is created by stars, whose winds
and
radiation blow the material out into space.

"Usually you see smoke before a fire, but we knew about the fire in this
galaxy
before Spitzer's infrared eyes saw the smoke," said Dr. David Leisawitz,
Spitzer
program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

These hazy clouds are some of the biggest ever seen around a galaxy. They
stretch out 20,000 light-years away from the galactic plane in both
directions,
far beyond where stars are found.

Previous observations of Messier 82 had revealed two cone-shaped clouds
of very
hot gas projecting outward below and above the center of galaxy.
Spitzer's
sensitive infrared vision allowed astronomers to see the galaxy's dust.

"Spitzer showed us a dust halo all around this galaxy," said Engelbracht.
"We still don't understand why the dust is all over the place and not
cone-shaped."

Cone-shaped clouds of dust around this galaxy would have indicated that
its
central, massive stars had sprayed the dust into space. Instead,
Engelbracht
and his team believe stars throughout the galaxy are sending off the
"smoke signals."

Messier 82 is located about 12 million light-years away in the Ursa Major
constellation.
It is undergoing a renaissance of star birth in its middle age, with the
most intense
bursts of star formation taking place at its core. The galaxy's
interaction with its
neighbor, a larger galaxy called Messier 81, is the cause of all the
stellar ruckus.
Our own Milky Way galaxy is a less hectic place, with dust confined to
the galactic plane.

The findings will appear in an upcoming issue of the Astrophysical
Journal. Other
authors who contributed significantly to this work are Praveen Kundurthy
and Dr.
Karl Gordon, both of the University of Arizona. The image was taken as a
part of the
Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxy Survey, which is led by Dr. Robert
Kennicutt, also of
the University of Arizona.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the Spitzer Space Telescope mission
for
NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Science operations are
conducted
at the Spitzer Science Center at Caltech. JPL is a division of Caltech.

For more information about Spitzer, visit
http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/spitzer.
For more information about NASA and agency programs on the Web,
visit http://www.nasa.gov/home/.

PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) are also found in coal, oil and
diesel fuel. So while many of these compounds do form as a result of
combustion reactions, not all of them do. Just something to keep in mind.
One question this finding does pose is what are the parameters that allow
such a large plume of these compounds to exist for an extended period of
time in interstellar space?

George

One question this finding does pose is what are the parameters that allow
such a large plume of these compounds to exist for an extended period of
time in interstellar space?

George

Why shouldn't they?

"George" wrote in message
news:i1kSf.622514$084.302843@attbi_s22...
|
| "Sam Wormley" wrote in message
| ...
|
| News Release: 2006-037
| Galaxy on Fire! NASA's Spitzer Reveals Stellar Smoke
|
| Where there's smoke, there's fire - even in outer space. A new infrared
| image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows a burning hot galaxy
| whose fiery stars appear to be blowing out giant billows of smoky dust.
|
| The galaxy, called Messier 82, or the "Cigar galaxy," was previously
| known
| to host a hotbed of young, massive stars. The new Spitzer image reveals,
| for the first time, the "smoke" surrounding those stellar fires.
|
| "We've never seen anything like this," said Dr. Charles Engelbracht of
| the
| University of Arizona, Tucson. "This unusual galaxy has ejected an
| enormous
| amount of dust to cover itself with a cloud brighter than any we've seen
| around other galaxies."
|
| The false-colored view, online at http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media ,
| shows Messier 82, an irregular-shaped galaxy positioned on its side, as
| a
| diffuse bar of blue light. Fanning out from its top and bottom like the
| wings
| of a butterfly are huge red clouds of dust believed to contain a
compound
| similar to car exhaust.
|
| The smelly material, called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, can be
found
| on
| Earth in tailpipes, barbecue pits and other places where combustion
| reactions
| have occurred. In galaxies, the stuff is created by stars, whose winds
| and
| radiation blow the material out into space.
|
| "Usually you see smoke before a fire, but we knew about the fire in this
| galaxy
| before Spitzer's infrared eyes saw the smoke," said Dr. David Leisawitz,
| Spitzer
| program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
|
| These hazy clouds are some of the biggest ever seen around a galaxy.
They
| stretch out 20,000 light-years away from the galactic plane in both
| directions,
| far beyond where stars are found.
|
| Previous observations of Messier 82 had revealed two cone-shaped clouds
| of very
| hot gas projecting outward below and above the center of galaxy.
| Spitzer's
| sensitive infrared vision allowed astronomers to see the galaxy's dust.
|
| "Spitzer showed us a dust halo all around this galaxy," said
Engelbracht.
| "We still don't understand why the dust is all over the place and not
| cone-shaped."
|
| Cone-shaped clouds of dust around this galaxy would have indicated that
| its
| central, massive stars had sprayed the dust into space. Instead,
| Engelbracht
| and his team believe stars throughout the galaxy are sending off the
| "smoke signals."
|
| Messier 82 is located about 12 million light-years away in the Ursa
Major
| constellation.
| It is undergoing a renaissance of star birth in its middle age, with the
| most intense
| bursts of star formation taking place at its core. The galaxy's
| interaction with its
| neighbor, a larger galaxy called Messier 81, is the cause of all the
| stellar ruckus.
| Our own Milky Way galaxy is a less hectic place, with dust confined to
| the galactic plane.
|
| The findings will appear in an upcoming issue of the Astrophysical
| Journal. Other
| authors who contributed significantly to this work are Praveen Kundurthy
| and Dr.
| Karl Gordon, both of the University of Arizona. The image was taken as a
| part of the
| Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxy Survey, which is led by Dr. Robert
| Kennicutt, also of
| the University of Arizona.
|
| The Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the Spitzer Space Telescope
mission
| for
| NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Science operations are
| conducted
| at the Spitzer Science Center at Caltech. JPL is a division of Caltech.
|
| For more information about Spitzer, visit
| http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/spitzer.
| For more information about NASA and agency programs on the Web,
| visit http://www.nasa.gov/home/.
|
| PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) are also found in coal, oil and
| diesel fuel. So while many of these compounds do form as a result of
| combustion reactions, not all of them do. Just something to keep in mind.
| One question this finding does pose is what are the parameters that allow
| such a large plume of these compounds to exist for an extended period of
| time in interstellar space?
|
| George
|
I'd be interested to know what the journalist means by
"an irregular-shaped galaxy positioned on its side".
Is there some other orientation we should know about,
such as "upright" or "laying prone" ?
Androcles.

"Hexenmeister" wrote in message
.uk...

"George" wrote in message
news:i1kSf.622514$084.302843@attbi_s22...
|
| "Sam Wormley" wrote in message
| ...
|
| News Release: 2006-037
| Galaxy on Fire! NASA's Spitzer Reveals Stellar Smoke
|
| Where there's smoke, there's fire - even in outer space. A new
infrared
| image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows a burning hot galaxy
| whose fiery stars appear to be blowing out giant billows of smoky
dust.
|
| The galaxy, called Messier 82, or the "Cigar galaxy," was previously
| known
| to host a hotbed of young, massive stars. The new Spitzer image
reveals,
| for the first time, the "smoke" surrounding those stellar fires.
|
| "We've never seen anything like this," said Dr. Charles Engelbracht
of
| the
| University of Arizona, Tucson. "This unusual galaxy has ejected an
| enormous
| amount of dust to cover itself with a cloud brighter than any we've
seen
| around other galaxies."
|
| The false-colored view, online at
http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media ,
| shows Messier 82, an irregular-shaped galaxy positioned on its side,
as
| a
| diffuse bar of blue light. Fanning out from its top and bottom like
the
| wings
| of a butterfly are huge red clouds of dust believed to contain a
compound
| similar to car exhaust.
|
| The smelly material, called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, can be
found
| on
| Earth in tailpipes, barbecue pits and other places where combustion
| reactions
| have occurred. In galaxies, the stuff is created by stars, whose
winds
| and
| radiation blow the material out into space.
|
| "Usually you see smoke before a fire, but we knew about the fire in
this
| galaxy
| before Spitzer's infrared eyes saw the smoke," said Dr. David
Leisawitz,
| Spitzer
| program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
|
| These hazy clouds are some of the biggest ever seen around a galaxy.
They
| stretch out 20,000 light-years away from the galactic plane in both
| directions,
| far beyond where stars are found.
|
| Previous observations of Messier 82 had revealed two cone-shaped
clouds
| of very
| hot gas projecting outward below and above the center of galaxy.
| Spitzer's
| sensitive infrared vision allowed astronomers to see the galaxy's
dust.
|
| "Spitzer showed us a dust halo all around this galaxy," said
Engelbracht.
| "We still don't understand why the dust is all over the place and not
| cone-shaped."
|
| Cone-shaped clouds of dust around this galaxy would have indicated
that
| its
| central, massive stars had sprayed the dust into space. Instead,
| Engelbracht
| and his team believe stars throughout the galaxy are sending off the
| "smoke signals."
|
| Messier 82 is located about 12 million light-years away in the Ursa
Major
| constellation.
| It is undergoing a renaissance of star birth in its middle age, with
the
| most intense
| bursts of star formation taking place at its core. The galaxy's
| interaction with its
| neighbor, a larger galaxy called Messier 81, is the cause of all the
| stellar ruckus.
| Our own Milky Way galaxy is a less hectic place, with dust confined
to
| the galactic plane.
|
| The findings will appear in an upcoming issue of the Astrophysical
| Journal. Other
| authors who contributed significantly to this work are Praveen
Kundurthy
| and Dr.
| Karl Gordon, both of the University of Arizona. The image was taken
as a
| part of the
| Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxy Survey, which is led by Dr. Robert
| Kennicutt, also of
| the University of Arizona.
|
| The Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the Spitzer Space Telescope
mission
| for
| NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Science operations
are
| conducted
| at the Spitzer Science Center at Caltech. JPL is a division of
Caltech.
|
| For more information about Spitzer, visit
| http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/spitzer.
| For more information about NASA and agency programs on the Web,
| visit http://www.nasa.gov/home/.
|
| PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) are also found in coal, oil and
| diesel fuel. So while many of these compounds do form as a result of
| combustion reactions, not all of them do. Just something to keep in
mind.
| One question this finding does pose is what are the parameters that
allow
| such a large plume of these compounds to exist for an extended period
of
| time in interstellar space?
|
| George
|
I'd be interested to know what the journalist means by
"an irregular-shaped galaxy positioned on its side".
Is there some other orientation we should know about,
such as "upright" or "laying prone" ?
Androcles.


LOL.

George