Scientists have measured a fast wind of gas from the galaxy M82. This galaxy makes stars much quicker than our own Milky Way. The wind moves faster than 3 million kilometres per hour. It stretches far into space.
The measurements come from the XRISM spacecraft. This is a mission by JAXA and NASA. A special tool on XRISM detected X-rays from hot iron in the centre of M82. The results were published on March 25 in the journal Nature. They answer an important question about M82.
M82 is a starburst galaxy. This means it creates many stars very quickly. Researchers want to know how the strong winds from this galaxy affect itself and the space around it. This helps them understand galaxies better.
The team used the Doppler effect to measure the wind speed. This effect happens when a light source moves towards or away from us. They found that hot iron gas is moving outwards. The gas is very hot, around 25 million degrees Celsius. It pushes the gas away just like wind on Earth.
The data shows that M82 sends out enough material to make seven new stars each year. But scientists do not know where some of this gas goes. They need more research to find the answer.
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