Scientists Capture New 'Pillars of Creation' from Space
These massive pillar-shaped cosmic structures may be 7,500 light-years away, but that does not dim their vivid beauty. They resemble the "Pillars of Creation" images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope nearly two decades ago in 1995.
The #Eagle #nebula. #PillarsOfCreation. pic.twitter.com/ml9FSXQ9r0
— Drew Colyer 〽 (@dcolyer85) October 6, 2016
This time, a team of researchers led by Anna McLeod, a doctoral student at ESO, captured the groundbreaking images with the Mutli Unit Spectroscopic Explorer, an instrument that can view cosmic bodies in 3-D.
The colorful pillars are tall clouds of dust and gas and are the perfect breeding ground for new stars. According to Discover Magazine, stars are born out of gas and dust pillars just like the ones captured in these new images.
Although the creation of new stars from gas clouds may be mesmerizing, it is closely followed by death. When new stars are born, the pressure and radiation is strong enough to rip apart the clouds they are created from.
The relationship between stars and their nebulous creators are complex and poorly understand. Researchers hope images like these will give them deeper understanding into the complexities of the universe.
