Scientists have achieved the first direct measurement of wind speed from M82, known as the Cigar Galaxy, located twelve million light years from Earth. The galaxy is experiencing a dramatic starburst phase, forming stars at ten times the rate of the Milky Way, generating a massive outflow of superheated gas.
The galactic wind extends 40,000 light years from M82, driven by the intense stellar formation activity within the galaxy. This phenomenon occurs when the rapid birth and death of massive stars creates enough energy to blast material outward from the galaxy's core into intergalactic space.