The closest starburst galaxy to our own, Messier 82 is over five times more luminous than the Milky Way. As seen in the above image, the galaxy is notable for the shreds of clouds surrounding its bright centre, and the plumes of hydrogen that seem to burst from within. Nicknamed the 'Cigar Galaxy', Messier 82 has been reported on in mainstream news rather frequently in recent years. In 2010, radio astronomers at the University of Manchester reported finding an unknown object in Messier 82, which began sending out radio waves unlike anything ever seen before. No conclusive theory regarding what this object could be has yet been proposed.
7. Dance Of The Galaxies
This image shows off the beautiful Stephan's Quintet, which is also named the (far more dull) Hickson Compact Group 92. It's a group of five galaxies that appear close together from our galactic perspective, forming a phenomenal 'portrait' against the backdrop of deep space. Three of the galaxies in Stephan's Quintet appear distorted and elongated, with long gassy tails and spiral arms. The galaxy in the upper left, named NGC 7320 is actually seven times closer to us than the rest of those featured in the image, appearing to be in the same plane due to its status as a dwarf galaxy.
