Posted on Dec 6, 2022
APOD: 2022 December 6 - M16: A Star Forming Pillar from Webb
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Good morning, Rallypoint, and welcome to the December 6th edition of Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD): "M16: A Star Forming Pillar from Webb." If you like early Christmas gifts, we have one today from the Webb Telescope. This close up from the Eagle Nebula (M16) is mesmerizing. This region, also known as the Pillars of Creation, lies about 6,500 light years away in the constellation Serpens (The Serpent). New stars (look for the bright red glow) are forming at the tips of each pillar. Scientists estimate that radiation, stellar winds, and supernovae will consume this pillar in 100,000 years.
APOD: 2022 December 6 - M16: A Star Forming Pillar from Webb
Posted from apod.nasa.gov
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Space
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Posted >1 y ago
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Maj William W. 'Bill' Price
Lt Col Charlie Brown When I saw the first Hubble images of M16, I called it "God's Wallpaper." My boss (at the time) hunted up a print for me. It's framed and hanging on a wall in my office now.
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Thank you my space-exploration advocate friend and brother-in-Christ Maj William W. 'Bill' Price for posting the December 6, 2022 Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD): M16: A Star Forming Pillar from Webb;
Image: M16: A Star Forming Pillar from Webb; Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Processing & Copyright: Mehmet Hakan Özsaraç
APOD "Explanation: What’s happening inside this interstellar mountain? Stars are forming. The mountain is actually a column of gas and dust in the picturesque Eagle Nebula (M16). A pillar like this is so low in density that you could easily fly though it -- it only appears solid because of its high dust content and great depth. The glowing areas are lit internally by newly formed stars. These areas shine in red and infrared light because blue light is scattered away by intervening interstellar dust. The featured image was captured recently in near-infrared light in unprecedented detail by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), launched late last year. Energetic light, abrasive winds, and final supernovas from these young stars will slowly destroy this stellar birth column over the next 100,000 years."
Image: M16: A Star Forming Pillar from Webb; Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Processing & Copyright: Mehmet Hakan Özsaraç
APOD "Explanation: What’s happening inside this interstellar mountain? Stars are forming. The mountain is actually a column of gas and dust in the picturesque Eagle Nebula (M16). A pillar like this is so low in density that you could easily fly though it -- it only appears solid because of its high dust content and great depth. The glowing areas are lit internally by newly formed stars. These areas shine in red and infrared light because blue light is scattered away by intervening interstellar dust. The featured image was captured recently in near-infrared light in unprecedented detail by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), launched late last year. Energetic light, abrasive winds, and final supernovas from these young stars will slowly destroy this stellar birth column over the next 100,000 years."
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