Pillars of Creation

Recently, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) released stunningly detailed images of the ‘Pillars of Creation’ taken by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

Key Points: The images were taken by the Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) of the James Webb Space Telescope.

• These pillars are essentially very dense clouds of molecular hydrogen gas and dust that have survived longer than their surroundings.
• They appear like rock formations – three towers of gas and dust which are more permeable than they look.
• This is a region where young stars are forming – or have barely burst from their dusty cocoons as they continue to form.
• The Pillars of Creation are part of the Eagle Nebula, also known as Messier 16. The Eagle Nebula is located 6,500 light-years from the earth in the constellation Serpens.

Significance: The Pillars of Creation will help researchers revamp their models of star formation by identifying far more precise counts of newly formed stars, along with the quantities of gas and dust in the region.

• Eventually, they will have a clearer understanding of how stars form and burst out of these dusty clouds over millions of years.