Pillars Of Creation

Title

Pillars Of Creation

Artist

Marco Oliveira

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

Pillars Of Creation
Image Credits: NASA/ESA/Hubble Heritage Team
Retouching by Marco Oliveira

[Source: http://www.nasa.gov]

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has taken many breathtaking images of the universe, but one snapshot stands out from the rest: the iconic view of the so-called Pillars of Creation. The jaw-dropping photo, taken in 1995, revealed never-before-seen details of three giant columns of cold gas bathed in the scorching ultraviolet light from a cluster of young, massive stars in a small region of the Eagle Nebula, or M16.

Though such butte-like features are common in star-forming regions, the M16 structures are by far the most photogenic and evocative. The Hubble image is so popular that it has appeared in movies and television shows, on T-shirts and pillows, and even on a postage stamp.

Now, in celebration of its upcoming 25th anniversary in April, Hubble has revisited the famous pillars, providing astronomers with a sharper and wider view. As a bonus, the pillars have been photographed in near-infrared light, as well as visible light. The infrared view transforms the pillars into eerie, wispy silhouettes seen against a background of myriad stars. That's because the infrared light penetrates much of the gas and dust, except for the densest regions of the pillars. Newborn stars can be seen hidden away inside the pillars.

The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., in Washington.

NASA is exploring our solar system and beyond to understand the universe and our place in it. We seek to unravel the secrets of our universe, its origins and evolution, and search for life among the stars.

You may also like:
Under The Milky Way I: http://bit.ly/1EogULG
Under The Milky Way II: http://bit.ly/1AJHBGU

Follow me on Facebook to get updates on my latest work, special promotions and much more! Marco Oliveira Photography: http://on.fb.me/1tnBHal

Uploaded

January 20th, 2015

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