Infrared emission from young stars in the nucleus of M82

New observational and analytical techniques were used to obtain high-resolution NIR and FIR profiles of the luminous peculiar galaxy M82. The strongest NIR emission is found to be coincident with the dynamical center of the galaxy; a secondary NIR source, a factor of two fainter than the nucleus, is located 10 deg to the southewest. Simultaneous 40-micron and 100-micron profiles of M82 reveal an asymmetric distribution, with peak FIR emission diplaced about 5 arcsec to the west of center, and a plateau of emission extending about 5 arcsec to the east. The best positional determination indicates that the peak FIR emission from M82 is coincident with a cluster of young stars located to the southwest of the galactic nucleus at a projected distance of 10 arcsec (150 pc). 26 references