Pillars of Creation
Depicts: M16, The Eagle Nebula, NGC 6611
Copyright: Jeff Hester and Paul Scowen (Arizona State University), and NASA
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Undersea corral? Enchanted castles? Space serpents? These eerie, dark pillar-like structures are actually columns of cool interstellar hydrogen gas and dust that are also incubators for new stars. The pillars protrude from the interior wall of a dark molecular cloud like stalagmites from the floor of a cavern.
Last Update: 1 September 2019