JWST Tracked Dust Riding a Galactic Outflow

JWST/MIRI spectroscopy mapped several polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon features and gas lines in M82 and NGC 253. In M82, the dust features largely traced a rotating disk; in NGC 253, the 6.2- and 11.3-micron features traced the outflow's launching region. The 11.3-micron feature moved more like ionized than warm molecular gas, while the 6.2-micron feature was faster still. The authors interpret this as evidence that the observed PAHs associate more closely with ionized outflow gas near the base.