M16 Pillars of Creation – Infrared Light - Another point of view
Although NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has taken many breathtaking images of the universe, one snapshot stands out from the rest: the iconic view of the so-called "Pillars of Creation." The jaw-dropping photo, taken in 1995, revealed never-before-seen details of three giant columns of cold gas bathed in the scorching ultraviolet light from a cluster of young, massive stars in a small region of the Eagle Nebula, or M16.
Though such butte-like features are common in star-forming regions, the M16 structures are by far the most photogenic and evocative. The Hubble image is so popular that it has appeared in movies and television shows, on tee-shirts and pillows, and even on a postage stamp. And now, in celebration of its 25th anniversary, Hubble has revisited the famous pillars, providing astronomers with a sharper and wider view, shown in the right-hand image. For comparison, the original 1995 Hubble image of the gaseous towers appears in the left-hand view. Streamers of gas can be seen bleeding off pillars as the intense radiation heats and evaporates it into space. Stars are being born deep inside the pillars.
Observing in infrared light, Hubble pierced through the obscuring gas and dust of M16’s Pillars of Creation. This ethereal image reveals the young stars that are being formed within the pillars. It also uncovers a myriad of background stars that were hidden at visible wavelengths.
Images downloaded:
color_hlsp_heritage_hst_wfc3-ir_m16_f160w_f110w_v1_drz_sci.fits (196.9 Mb)
hlsp_heritage_hst_wfc3-ir_m16_f110w_v1_drz.fits ( 65.7 Mb)
hlsp_heritage_hst_wfc3-ir_m16_f160w_v1_drz.fits (65.7 Mb)
URL of Website:
http://astrophotographysirius.com/
M16 Pillars of Creation – Infrared Light - Another point of view. Hubble Legacy Archive, ESA, NASA; Processing: Lluís Romero
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