The Pillars of Creation and the Interplay of Stars and Dust

This scientific visualization explores the iconic Pillars of Creation in the Eagle Nebula (Messier 16 or M16) and the various ways that stars and dust are intertwined in the process of star formation. In developing the contextual story and the three-dimensional model, the video uses data from science papers, the Hubble Space Telescope, the Webb Space Telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope, and the Chandra X-ray Observatory.

The sequence begins with zoom from our Milky Way galaxy in to the Pillars of Creation, a scale change greater than a factor of 10,000. Along the way, the general distribution of stars and dust clouds on the sky leads to the specific details of the star-forming Eagle Nebula. The stellar winds and high energy light from hot young stars at the center of the nebula are responsible for creating the pillars' shapes.

The video then enters a journey into the three-dimensional structure of the pillars. Based on scientific results, astronomers and artists modeled this striking formation in three dimensions and created a sequence that flies past and among the pillars. What can look like three connected 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 back and forth between Hubble's visible-light and Webb's 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 shorter non-narrated visualization, The Pillars of Creation: A 3D Multiwavelength Exploration, focuses on the experiential flythrough of the pillars.

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