James Webb Space Telescope Sightseeing TourThis is a fresh look at one interstellar object that is well-known. Researchers have CapturedTheir most detailed image of the Pillars Of Creation, a star-forming nursery in Eagle Nebula about 6,500 light-years distant, is the best yet. This near-infrared image shows more detail than the original. Hubble’s 2014 snapshot, with an abundance of stars (particularly newborns) in view — there isn’t even a galaxy within sight.
The new stars are bright red points of light at the scene. They are believed to be only a few hundred million years old. The jets and bowshocks that ignite hydrogen and push it forward are responsible for the red glow on the pillars and some of the lines around the edges. Galaxies are not visible because the interstellar medium of the Milky Way blocks distant objects from such dense areas.
Hubble was the first to photograph the Pillars Of Creation in 1995 (see below), although the technology of that time only revealed a small fraction of the stars within the area. Although the 2014 re-do offered more detail, the visible light snapshot left the pillars somewhat opaque and obscured some of the forming star formations. The James Webb observation gives a more detailed representation of the nursery’s activities.
This enhanced capture doesn’t exist just to be a show. Webb’s accurate data for stars and gas can help scientists revise star formation models. This could help humanity understand early star life, and the universe in general.
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Anton M. Koekemoer (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI)
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