Messier 82

To celebrate the International Year of Astronomy, and as part of the 100 Hours of Astronomy cornerstone project, ESA is releasing this magnificent image of the starburst galaxy Messier 82 (M82) obtained with the XMM-Newton observatory. The image shows bright knots in the plane of the galaxy, indicating a region of intense star formation, and emerging plumes of supergalactic winds glowing in X-rays.