Cigar Galaxy (Messier 82 / NGC 3034)
Coordinates, TRGB distance (3.53 Mpc / 11.5 Mly), starburst superwind, dark dust filaments, and observing guide for the Cigar Galaxy (M82).
Provenance-Backed Scientific Measurements
Every measurement below preserves its unit, uncertainty interval, observational method, reference epoch, quality status, and primary catalog source. See Uncertainty & Provenance for how competing measurements are handled.
| Parameter | Value | Uncertainty | Method & Epoch | Quality Status | Source Archive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Integrated visual magnitude (V) | 8.41 mag | ± 0.08 mag | Integrated CCD aperture photometry | definitive | Revised New General Catalogue and Index Catalogue (RNGC/IC) |
| Extragalactic distance | 3530000 pc | ± 150000 pc | HST Tip of the Red Giant Branch (TRGB: 3.53 ± 0.15 Mpc / 11.5 Mly) | definitive | SIMBAD Astronomical Database (CDS) |
| Apparent major axis | 11.2 arcmin | ± 0.4 arcmin | Optical edge-on disk dimensions (11.2′ × 4.3′) | definitive | Revised New General Catalogue and Index Catalogue (RNGC/IC) |
| Mean visual surface brightness | 19.6 mag/arcsec² | ± 0.2 mag/arcsec² | Derived from V=8.41 mag over 11.2′ × 4.3′ spindle | high-confidence | Revised New General Catalogue and Index Catalogue (RNGC/IC) |
J2000 Equatorial Sky Chart & Culmination Altitude
The chart below plots Cigar Galaxy (Messier 82 Starburst Galaxy) at RA 09h 55m 52.43s, Dec +69° 40′ 46.9″ within Ursa Major, alongside peak meridian transit altitudes for 40°N and 30°S observers. Use the RA/Dec Coordinate Converter to compute exact culmination altitude for your latitude.
Astrophysical Context & Structure
The Cigar Galaxy (Messier 82, NGC 3034), situated 37 arcminutes north of Bode's Galaxy (M81) at a distance of 3.53 ± 0.15 megaparsecs (11.5 million light-years) in Ursa Major, is the closest and brightest archetype of a starburst galaxy in the local universe. Discovered alongside M81 by Johann Elert Bode on December 31, 1774, M82 had its outer gas tidally funneled into its central 1,500 light-years during its close gravitational pass by M81 ~200–300 million years ago.
Inside that compressed nuclear core, M82 is forming stars at roughly ten times the rate of the entire Milky Way, packed into more than 100 young 'super star clusters' (each holding ~100,000 to 1,000,000 solar masses). Five times more luminous than the whole Milky Way in the infrared, the combined supernova shock waves and stellar winds from M82's core drive a colossal bipolar 'superwind' of 10-million-kelvin X-ray plasma and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon plumes (mapped by Chandra and JWST) perpendicular to the galactic disk at >1,000 km/s.
In January 2014, M82 hosted SN 2014J—the closest Type Ia ('thermonuclear white-dwarf') supernova observed in over four decades, reaching magnitude 10.5 in amateur telescopes.
Practical Visual Observing Guide
- Shares the same low-power eyepiece field with M81 (37 arcminutes south).
- Because M82 has one of the highest surface brightnesses of any Messier galaxy (19.6 mag/arcsec²), it handles high magnification remarkably well: push a 100–200 mm telescope to 120×–200× to see dark oblique dust rifts and mottled bright knots slicing across its 11-arcminute cigar-shaped spindle.
Catalog Cross-Identifications & Aliases
Common Aliases: M82 · NGC 3034 · 3C 231
| Catalog Authority | Identifier |
|---|---|
| MESSIER | M 82 |
| NGC | NGC 3034 |
| SIMBAD | M 82 |
| WIKIDATA | Q14026 |
Related Objects, Comparisons & Guides
Bode's Galaxy (Messier 81 / NGC 3031)
Coordinates, Cepheid/TRGB distance (3.63 Mpc / 11.8 Mly), magnitude 6.94, M81–M82 tidal pair, and observing guide for Bode's Galaxy in Ursa Major.
Whirlpool Galaxy (Messier 51 / NGC 5194)
Coordinates, SN II-P / TRGB distance (8.58 Mpc / 28.0 Mly), grand-design spiral arms, NGC 5195 tidal companion, and observing guide for M51.
Sombrero Galaxy (Messier 104 / NGC 4594)
Coordinates, TRGB distance (9.55 Mpc / 31.1 Mly), edge-on dust lane, 1-billion-M☉ central black hole, and observing guide for M104.
Small-Telescope Messier Objects Tour (80–150mm)
Curated seasonal tour of flagship Messier clusters, nebulae, and galaxies optimized for 80 mm to 150 mm (3-inch to 6-inch) refractors and reflectors.
Suburban & Urban Light-Pollution Targets Guide
Practical observing guide to high-surface-brightness targets—planets, double stars, open clusters, and planetary nebulae—that cut through Bortle 6–8 skyglow.
Surface Brightness & Extended Objects Guide
Why surface brightness (mag/arcsec²) governs nebula and galaxy visibility more than integrated magnitude, and how exit pupil controls eyepiece contrast.
Apparent vs Absolute Magnitude Explained
Understand the logarithmic Pogson astronomical magnitude scale, apparent visual magnitude (m), absolute magnitude (M at 10 parsecs), and bolometric corrections.
Messier Catalog (M) Objects & Cross-Reference
Guide and cross-walk to Charles Messier's flagship deep-sky catalog (M1 to M104 in FastAstro), linking Messier numbers to NGC IDs, distances, and magnitudes.
NGC & Caldwell Deep-Sky Cross-Walk Catalog
Cross-reference guide to Dreyer's New General Catalogue (NGC) showpieces, including southern gems Omega Centauri, 47 Tucanae, Carina Nebula, and the Veil.
Scientific Sources & Dataset Provenance
- Revised New General Catalogue and Index Catalogue (RNGC/IC) (2024/2026 edition): Steinicke, W. 2010, Observing and Cataloguing Nebulae and Star Clusters (Cambridge Univ. Press); Verga, M. OpenNGC (CC-BY-SA 4.0 / data tables) — Wolfgang Steinicke / OpenNGC
- JWST / MAST Science Archive & Mission Documentation (Cycle 1–4 Public Releases (2022–2026)): Rigby, J., et al. 2023, PASP, 135, 048001 (The Science Performance of JWST as Characterized in Commissioning) — NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI
- SIMBAD Astronomical Database (CDS) (2026-10 release): Wenger, M., et al. 2000, A&AS, 143, 9 (The SIMBAD astronomical database) — Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg