Pillars of Creation, JWST image
JWST composite image using NIRcam and MIRI showing Pillars of Creation. These towering columns are formed of interstellar hydrogen gas and dust. They are part of the Eagle Nebula (M16), a region of active star formation located 6500 light years away in the Serpens constellation. Thousands of stars that exist in the region are not seen in this image because they do not typically emit much mid-infrared light. However, two types of stars can be seen. The stars at the end of the thick, dusty pillars which have recently eroded most of the more distant material surrounding them, but they can be seen in mid-infrared light because they are still surrounded by cloaks of dust. In contrast, blue tones indicate stars that are older and have shed most of their gas and dust. Bright red areas are newly formed stars that have collapsed from material within the pillars. Wavy lines at the edges of the pillars are ejections from forming stars that periodically shoot out supersonic jets of material.
Size: 6110px × 5720px
Location:
Photo credit: © NASA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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