The Eagle Nebula (M16), located about 6,000 light-years away in the constellation Serpens, is home to the iconic Pillars of Creation, a star-forming region captured in a famous image by the Hubble Space Telescope in 1995. This image, featuring towering tendrils of interstellar gas and dust, has become a staple of space merchandise and even appeared on a postage stamp. Now, the Pillars of Creation have received a multiwavelength 3D makeover, thanks to new data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). This 3D visualization, showcased in various scientific publications, highlights the differences in how Hubble and JWST capture the same object. While JWST’s newer data isn’t necessarily “better” than Hubble’s, it allows astronomers to study different aspects of the same object.
Space telescopes typically specialize in certain wavelengths of light. Hubble captures primarily visible light, while JWST is more sensitive to infrared light. This difference in sensitivity allows the telescopes to reveal different features of the same object. “When we combine observations from NASA’s space telescopes across different wavelengths of light, we broaden our understanding of the universe,” said Dr. [Name of NASA official], Astrophysics Division director at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., in a statement. “The Pillars of Creation region continues to offer us new insights that hone our understanding of how stars form. Now, with this new visualization, everyone can experience this rich, captivating landscape in a new way.”
The nebula’s pillars, vast fingers of cool molecular hydrogen and dust, are being slowly eroded by the ultraviolet light from hot, young stars being born in the region. Hubble’s visible-light data shows the pillars as impenetrable, brown dust and yellow, ionized gas with a greenish-blue background. However, the new infrared data from JWST makes the pillars seem semi-transparent, with light-blue ionized gas set against a dark-blue background. Infrared light penetrates all but the densest parts of the pillars of gas and dust. The tallest pillar is about 3 light-years across. This isn’t the first infrared makeover of the “Pillars of Creation.” In 2015, to celebrate its 25th anniversary, Hubble imaged the Pillars in infrared for the first time. Meanwhile, JWST released its first image of the iconic Pillars in 2022. The combination of data from these powerful telescopes provides a richer understanding of the universe and the processes of star formation within these awe-inspiring cosmic structures.
