Starburst Galaxies: Stellar Nurseries on Overdrive

Starburst galaxies form stars at a rate hundreds of times faster than normal galaxies.
This furious pace can’t last—most starbursts burn out within just a few hundred million years.
They often glow brightly in infrared, where dust hides their newborn stars.
Starbursts are usually triggered by galaxy collisions or close gravitational encounters.
Famous examples include the Cigar Galaxy (M82) and the Antennae Galaxies.
Intense supernova activity fills these galaxies with powerful winds and shockwaves.
Starburst regions can pack thousands of new stars into just a few light-years.
They enrich the cosmos by spewing heavy elements into intergalactic space.
Starbursts give astronomers a glimpse of how galaxies may have formed in the early universe.
These cosmic fireworks are rare today but were far more common billions of years ago.