Starburst Galaxy M82: optical view			20/09/1999
			An optical image taken over a broad range of visible wavelengths shows an irregular, blotchy galaxy. The blotchiness is due to dust, which blocks much of the visible light from the galaxy.
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Image Credit: N.A.Sharp, AURA, NOAO, National Science Foundation.
"In the disk of our Milky Way Galaxy, stars form and die in a relatively calm fashion like burning embers in a campfire," said Richard Griffiths, Professor of Astrophysics at Carnegie Mellon University. "But in a starburst galaxy, star birth and death are more like explosions in a fireworks factory." Short-lived massive stars in a starburst galaxy produce supernova explosions, which heat the interstellar gas to millions of degrees, and leave behind neutron stars and black holes. These explosions emit light in the X rays rather than in visible light.
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