The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has captivated the world with a mind-blowing 3D video of the ‘Pillars of Creation,’ an active star-forming region residing within the majestic Eagle Nebula. This captivating video, a collaborative effort between NASA’s renowned Hubble and Webb telescopes, invites viewers on a breathtaking journey through these celestial structures.
The ‘Pillars of Creation’ have held an enduring fascination for humanity since their discovery by the Hubble Space Telescope in the 1990s. These ethereal columns of cosmic dust and gas, located at the heart of the Eagle Nebula (also known as M16), serve as the cradle for newborn stars. The 3D video, meticulously crafted by NASA, transports viewers into the very heart of these pillars, allowing them to experience their three-dimensional structure and intricacies like never before.
The video, a mesmerizing blend of visible light images captured by Hubble and infra-red images captured by Webb, provides a unique perspective on these celestial wonders. The contrasting viewpoints highlight the complementary nature of these powerful telescopes, each offering unique insights into the universe.
“The contrast helps them understand why we have more than one space telescope to observe different aspects of the same object,” explained Frank Summers, principal visualization scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, as quoted by NASA. “By flying past and amongst the pillars, viewers experience their three-dimensional structure and see how they look different in the Hubble visible-light view versus the Webb infrared-light view.”
These towering tendrils, stretching nearly 4 to 5 light-years across, are composed of gases like oxygen, sulfur, nitrogen, and hydrogen. The Eagle Nebula, discovered in 1745 by Swiss astronomer Jean-Philippe Loys de Chéseaux, is situated approximately 7,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Serpens.
NASA’s latest offering invites us to marvel at the grandeur of the cosmos and appreciate the incredible power of modern telescopes in unraveling its mysteries. This 3D video serves as a testament to the ongoing quest for knowledge and discovery in the field of astronomy, offering a glimpse into the awe-inspiring beauty and complexity of the universe we inhabit.
