WEBVTT FILE

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.569
NASA’s James Webb
Space Telescope

2
00:00:02.569 --> 00:00:07.374
has taken a new look at the starburst galaxy Messier 82.

3
00:00:07.374 --> 00:00:11.911
Located 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major,

4
00:00:11.911 --> 00:00:15.849
this galaxy hosts a lot of star formation activity,

5
00:00:15.849 --> 00:00:20.320
sprouting new stars 10 times faster than our own Milky Way.

6
00:00:20.320 --> 00:00:23.957
Star formation is hidden by dense curtains of dust and gas,

7
00:00:23.957 --> 00:00:26.459
but Webb can see through these murky conditions

8
00:00:26.459 --> 00:00:28.294
by peering in infrared light.

9
00:00:28.294 --> 00:00:31.031
Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera, or NIRCam,  

10
00:00:31.031 --> 00:00:33.600
pointed toward the starburst
galaxy’s center,  

11
00:00:33.600 --> 00:00:36.136
to get a better look at
a vibrant community

12
00:00:36.136 --> 00:00:39.272
of new stars in unprecedented detail.

13
00:00:39.272 --> 00:00:44.611
Every single white dot in this image 
is either a star, or a star cluster. 

14
00:00:44.611 --> 00:00:47.113
Clumpy red tendrils
can be seen extending

15
00:00:47.113 --> 00:00:49.649
above and below the galaxy’s plane.

16
00:00:49.649 --> 00:00:53.186
Looking closer toward the center, small green specks

17
00:00:53.186 --> 00:00:55.889
represent concentrated areas of iron,

18
00:00:55.889 --> 00:00:58.792
most of which are the dense remains 
of exploded stars

19
00:00:58.792 --> 00:01:01.161
called supernova remnants.

20
00:01:01.161 --> 00:01:04.831
Small patches that appear 
red signify regions where molecular

21
00:01:04.831 --> 00:01:09.936
hydrogen is being lit up by a 
nearby young star’s radiation.

22
00:01:09.936 --> 00:01:14.808
Using Webb to Inspect the activity 
in galaxies like these can deepen  

23
00:01:14.808 --> 00:01:19.179
astronomers’ understanding of the 
early universe by getting a closer  

24
00:01:19.179 --> 00:01:26.419
look at the physical conditions that 
foster the formation of new stars.