"Rocketed to fame by a Hubble Space Telescope image, these twisting columns of gas and dust rise 4 to 5 light years inside the Eagle Nebula. Their theatrical glow is courtesy of a nearby star cluster, whose UV energy is gradually eroding the tops of the pillars."
The pillars fade when viewed in infrared, a wavelength that zips through dust like X-rays through flesh, revealing a field of background stars. Note the big, young stars inside the columns and the bright red spots, which are new stars forming.
Generator Unlocked
Past Their Prime
X-ray images from the Chandra space telescope bring super high-energy stars to light. There are relatively few inside the Pillars of Creation, which means their prime star-making days have passed.
Piercing Clouds
Achievements[]
Icon
Name
Description
Requires
Rho Ophiuchi
This chaotic nursery popped into view thanks to Webb’s infrared camera. Polar gas jets from new stars crisscross the complex clouds. Some youngsters have protoplanetary disks, and a heavyweight star called S2 has carved out its own glowing cave at the center.
Pillars of Creation Rank 3
Low Birth Rate
With some 400 billion stars already, how often does the Milky Way gain new ones? Every year roughly four solar masses’ worth of gas ignite into seven stars, give or take. Most of the stars are red dwarfs, smaller than the Sun.