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Back Pillars of Creation

Pillars of Creation


Depicts: M16, The Eagle Nebula, NGC 6611
Copyright: Jeff Hester and Paul Scowen (Arizona State University), and NASA

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
15-Apr-2026 09:31 UT

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