Two views of the starburst galaxy Messier 82 (M82)

This slider tool features two views of the starburst galaxy Messier 82 (M82), a small but mighty environment that features rapid star formation. Located 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major, this galaxy is relatively compact in size but hosts a frenzy of star formation activity. For comparison, M82 is sprouting new stars 10 times faster than the Milky Way galaxy.

The image on the left is from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, which was released in 2006 to celebrate the observatory’s 16 years of success. You can learn more about this image here.

The image on the right is a new image from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. By looking closer with Webb’s sensitive infrared capabilities, a team of scientists is getting to the very core of the galaxy, gaining a better understanding of how it is forming stars and how this extreme activity is affecting the galaxy as a whole. You can learn more about this image here.

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