Webb Revisits the Pillars of Creation

James

James

October 19, 2022 · 1 min read

Just when you think JWST can't impress you any further, they release an image like this. Webb has turned its NIRCam instrument towards the Eagle Nebula, revisiting the iconic "Pillars of Creation" made famous by Hubble in 1995.

Where Hubble saw dark, imposing towers of opaque dust, Webb's infrared vision pierces right through, revealing the pillars as semi-transparent ghosts studded with thousands of sparkling, newly formed stars. The bright red, lava-like spots at the edges of the pillars are actual bow shocks from supersonic jets of material being blasted out by forming proto-stars. It is a stunning demonstration of how different wavelengths of light reveal entirely different physical realities.

James Webb Space Telescope: Pillars of Creation (NIRCam Image)
James Webb Space Telescope: Pillars of Creation (NIRCam Image)
Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Anton Koekemoer (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI)

https://science.nasa.gov/asset/webb/pillars-of-creation-nircam-image/

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