Pillars of the Eagle Nebula in Infrared
Explanation:
Newborn stars are forming in the Eagle Nebula.
Gravitationally contracting in
pillars of dense gas and dust, the intense radiation
of these newly-formed bright stars is causing surrounding material to boil away.
This image, taken with the
Hubble Space Telescope
in near
infrared light,
allows the viewer to
see through much of the thick dust that makes the pillars opaque
in visible light.
The
giant structures are
light years in length and dubbed informally the Pillars of Creation.
Associated with the
open star cluster
M16,
the Eagle Nebula lies about 6,500
light years away.
The
Eagle Nebula is an easy target
for small telescopes in a nebula-rich part of the sky toward the
split constellation
Serpens Cauda (the tail of the
snake).
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
