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Credit & Copyright: NASA,
ESA,
Hubble;
Processing & Copyright:
Ignacio Diaz Bobillo &
Diego Gravinese
Explanation:
Where do stars form?
One place, star forming regions known as "EGGs", are being uncovered at
the end of this
giant pillar of gas and
dust in the
Eagle Nebula (M16).
Short for
evaporating gaseous globules,
EGGs are dense regions of mostly molecular
hydrogen
gas that fragment and gravitationally collapse to
form stars.
Light from the hottest and brightest of these new stars heats the end of
the pillar and causes further evaporation of gas and dust --
revealing yet more
EGGs and more young stars.
This featured picture was created from exposures
spanning over 30 hours with the Earth-orbiting
Hubble Space Telescope in 2014,
and digitally processed with modern software by experienced volunteers in
Argentina.
Newborn stars will gradually
destroy their birth pillars over the next 100,000 years or so -- if a
supernova doesn't destroy
them first.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: star formation - Eagle Nebula
Publications with words: star formation - Eagle Nebula
See also: