Pillars of Creation, Jigsaw Puzzle

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Pillars of Creation:

The Pillars of Creation are set off in a kaleidoscope of color in NASA's James Webb Space Telescope's near-infrared-light view. The pillars resemble arches and spires rising out of a desert landscape. Still, they are filled with semi-transparent gas and dust and are ever-changing. This is a region where young stars are forming – or have barely burst from their dusty cocoons as they continue to create.

Newly formed stars are the scene-stealers in this Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) image. These are the bright red orbs that sometimes appear with eight diffraction spikes. When knots with sufficient mass form within the pillars, they begin to collapse under their own gravity, slowly heat up, and eventually begin shining brightly.

Along the edges of the pillars are wavy lines that look like lava. These are ejections from stars that are still forming. Young stars periodically shoot out supersonic jets that can interact with clouds of material, such as these thick pillars of gas and dust. This sometimes also results in bow shocks, which can form wavy patterns similar to those created by a boat as it moves through water. These young stars are estimated to be only a few hundred thousand years old and will continue to form for millions of years to come.

Although it may appear that near-infrared light has allowed Webb to "pierce through" the background to reveal great cosmic distances beyond the pillars, the interstellar medium stands in the way, like a drawn curtain.

This is also the reason why there are almost no distant galaxies in this view. This translucent layer of gas blocks our view of the deeper universe. Plus, dust is lit up by the collective light from the packed "party" of stars that have burst free from the pillars. It's like standing in a well-lit room looking out a window – the interior light reflects on the pane, obscuring the scene outside and, in turn, illuminating the activity at the party inside.

Webb's new view of the Pillars of Creation will help researchers revamp models of star formation. By identifying far more precise star populations, along with the quantities of gas and dust in the region, they will begin to build a clearer understanding of how stars form and emerge from these clouds over millions of years.

Constellation:            Serpens

Dimensions:              Image is approximately 8 light-years across.

Distance:                   6,500 light-years (2,000 parsecs)

Exposure Dates:       14 Aug 2022

Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Anton Koekemoer (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI)