The James Webb Space Telescope sightseeing tour just provided a new look at one of the most recognizable interstellar objects. Researchers have captured their most detailed image yet of the Pillars of Creation, a star-forming nursery in the Eagle Nebula about 6,500 light-years away. The near-infrared image shows even more detail than the 2014 Hubble snapshot, with plenty of stars (especially newborns) in view; not even a galaxy in sight.
The new stars are the bright red points of light in the scene and are estimated to be “only” a few hundred thousand years old. The red glow of the pillars, not to mention the wavy lines at some edges, are the result of arcing jets and shocks that energize the hydrogen and push it outward. You don’t see galaxies because the gas and dust of the Milky Way’s interstellar medium blocks more distant objects in such a dense area.
Hubble first photographed the Pillars of Creation in 1995 (see below), but technology at the time revealed only a fraction of the stars in the region. The 2014 retrieval provided much more detail, but the visible-light snapshot still left the pillars relatively opaque and obscured some of the stars in formation. James Webb’s observation is, in essence, a more complete representation of kindergarten activity.
This enhanced capture isn’t just for show. Scientists hope to revise their star formation models thanks to Webb’s more precise data on stars, gas and dust. This could improve humanity’s understanding of early stellar life and, in turn, the universe in general.
Hubble Space Telescope images of the Pillars of Creation from 1995 (left) and 2014 (right).