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Pillars of Creation Model for 3D Printing

Photograph of a 3D printed model of the Pillars of Creation. The model is light gray with a silk-like texture, and the background is white. The three pillars rise up from a base that has a pancake-dome shape. The base is rotated about 60 degrees clockwise from the typical left-to-right orientation: The tallest pillar is at the back left at about 11 o’clock; the shortest is in the foreground right, at about 5 o’clock. The model is lit from several different angles to highlight the details. The pillars cast faint shadows toward the lower left. The pillars are craggy and stalagmite-like. The surfaces are smooth in some places, and pitted and grooved in others. Some edges are rounded and some appear sharp and jagged. The tall pillar at the back left and the middle pillar are solid all the way to the base. The small pillar at the front right is connected to the base by a web-like lattice made out of the same material as the rest of the model.

The Pillars of Creation are a formation of long thin dust clouds in the Eagle Nebula. They have been showcased in exquisite images from both the Hubble and Webb space telescopes. Their nickname derives from the fact that stars are forming within the pillars.

3D Printable Models

In 2D images, only 3 pillars (left, center and right) are apparent. However, in 3D, there are four separate clouds within the pillars:

  • Pillar 1A is the top part of the left pillar
  • Pillar 1B is the bottom part of the left pillar
  • Pillar 2 is the central pillar
  • Pillar 3 is the right pillar

Use the downloadable STL files to print the Pillars of Creation as a set or individually:

  • Full Model - All four pillars with a round base
  • Pillar 1A only
  • Pillar 1B only
  • Pillar 2 only
  • Pillar 3 only

The last STL file is a positioning reference file for the four pillars without the base.

  • Release Date
    June 26, 2024
  • Credit
    3D Model: Leah Hustak (STScI), Ralf Crawford (STScI)

Downloads

  • Full Res (Print)
    tif (3.54 MB)
  • Full Res (Display)
    png (3.37 MB)
  • Full Model (All Four Pillars and Base)
    stl (49.63 MB)
  • Pillar 1A (Only)
    stl (17.4 MB)
  • Pillar 1B (Only)
    stl (1.17 MB)
  • Pillar 2 (Only)
    stl (6.49 MB)
  • Pillar 3 (Only)
    stl (10.09 MB)
  • All Four Pillars (Positioning Reference)
    stl (35.15 MB)

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Details

Last Updated
Aug 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Laura Betz
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
laura.e.betz@nasa.gov

3D Model Credit

Leah Hustak (STScI), Ralf Crawford (STScI)