M82:
Chandra Images Seething Cauldron of Starburst Galaxy

are some of the brightest such objects known. The luminosity of the X-ray binaries suggests that most contain a black hole. The diffuse X-ray light in the image extends over several thousand light years, and is caused by multimillion degree gas flowing out of M82. A close encounter with a large galaxy, M81, in the last 100 million years is thought to be the cause of the starburst activity.

Multi-wavelength Images:
X-ray NASA/CXC/SAO /PSU/CMU Jpg (82 k) Tiff (2.0 MB)	Optical N.A.Sharp,AURA, NOAO,NSF Jpg (34 k)	Infrared SAO Jpg (28 k)	Radio MERLIN & VLA Jpg (75 k)

Fast Facts for M82: Credit  NASA/CXC/SAO/PSU/CMU Scale  Image is 5 arcmin across. Category  Normal Galaxies & Starburst Galaxies Coordinates (J2000)  RA 09h 55m 50.70s | Dec +69° 40' 37" Constellation  Ursa Major Observation Dates  September 20, 1999 Observation Time  13 hours Obs. IDs  361, 1302 Color Code  Hot pink dots - the rest is intensity Instrument  ACIS Also Known As  Cigar Galaxy Distance Estimate  11 - 13 million light years Release Date  January 14, 2000