M 82, a spiral galaxy 12 million light years away in the constellation Ursa Major,
seems to have been disrupted by a close encounter with the giant spiral galaxy M 81
about 200 million to 500 million years ago. That encounter stirred up the gas and dust
within M 82, which triggered a staggering pace of new star formation, making M 82 the
model "starburst galaxy". The red jets of material, extending some 10,000 light years
out of the galaxy disk, remain a bit of a mystery to astronomers, but are probably caused
by the combined radiation "wind" from the multitude of new stars born in the core of the galaxy.

Image data:
Camera: SBIG STL-11000
Telescope: Hyperion 12.5"
Exposure: Luminance 180 minutes, RGB color 120 minutes (all 10-minute exposures)