The James Webb Space Telescope has captured a new view of the “Pillars of Creation,” resulting in a stunning, star-filled image.
Captured by the near-infrared camera, the image shows a region of space filled with clouds of hydrogen gas and surrounded by newly-formed stars, NASA announced in a news release.
See the Pillars of Creation like never before!
— NASA (@NASA) October 19, 2022
First made famous by @NASAHubble in 1995, @NASAWebb revisited this iconic part of the Eagle Nebula, revealing new details and hidden stars: https://t.co/Wkf0XXHTqh pic.twitter.com/JywEHyX1Bq
According to the news release, “the bright red orbs that typically have diffraction spikes and lie outside one of the dusty pillars,” are newly formed stars, while the “wavy lines that look like lava at the edges of some pillars” are “ejections from stars that are still forming.”
What is the ‘Pillars of Creation?’
Located 6,500 light-years away in the Eagle Nebula, the “Pillars of Creation” are column-shaped clouds that are made up of “cool interstellar gas and dust,” according to NASA.
Hubble first imaged this region in 1995, but the newer image will provide researchers with more information about the region and star formation.
What better way to mark #NewFriendsDay than with this new view?
— Hubble (@NASAHubble) October 19, 2022
One of Hubble’s most iconic shots now has a complementary companion from our friend @NASAWebb!
This star-forming region is known as the Pillars of Creation, and shows a small region of the Eagle Nebula. pic.twitter.com/3FMoH0ro0P
In July of this year, the James Webb Space Telescope captured the deepest view of space ever captured, the Deseret News reported at the time.
More recently, the telescope turned its eyes to Mars, capturing two new views of the planet.