The Pillars of Creation: A 3D Multiwavelength Exploration

This scientific visualization explores the iconic Pillars of Creation in the Eagle Nebula (Messier 16 or M16) using data from NASA's Hubble and Webb space telescopes.

Based on scientific results, astronomers and artists modeled this striking formation in three dimensions and created a movie that allows viewers to fly past and among the pillars. What can appear to be three pillars in a two-dimensional image separates into four dust clouds with ionized gas streaming away from each in the three-dimensional model.

As the virtual camera flies through the model, the view shifts between the visible-light and infrared-light perspectives. Viewers explore the contrasts between Hubble's and Webb's observations, which demonstrate how the telescopes complement each other by probing different scientific aspects of the clouds.

The Pillars of Creation get their nickname from the fact that stars are forming within these dust clouds. The visual tour highlights various stages of star formation, including an embedded protostar at the top of the central pillar, bipolar jets from a hidden star in the process of forming in the upper part of the left pillar, and a newborn star in the middle of the left pillar.

This visualization is a product of the AstroViz Project of NASA's Universe of Learning. A longer visualization, The Pillars of Creation and the Interplay of Stars and Dust, includes narration detailing the structures and the science behind them.

For additional learning resources, including videos, sonifications, interactives, and 3D printable models, visit the Pillars of Creation Resources page at NASA's Universe of Learning.