Infrared Universe: Eagle Nebula (M16) Wide View

The Pillars of Creation sit inside a large region of gas and dust being pushed from the inside out by powerful stellar winds. The winds blow back the edges of the cloud, creating dense regions that then collapse under their own gravity to form stars. The characteristic fingers of the Pillars are some of the densest gas in this region, hanging on against the strong winds. In the visible-light view (taken by a ground-based telescope), they are entirely in shadow. The visible view shows the illumination of the inside of the gas and dust. Infrared views (taken by NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope and the European Space Agency’s Herschel Space Observatory) reveals the massive, sculpted cavern walls that Webb will see in high definition. ESA’s XMM-Newton shows the massive stars doing the sculpting, pouring off hot, ionizing winds that push back the gas and dust.

Optical: The illumination of the inside of the gas and dust.
Credit: MPG, ESO and NOAO

X-ray: Massive stars pour off hot, ionizing winds that push back the gas and dust.
Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech/N.Flagey (IAS, SSC) and the MIPSGAL Science Team

Near-Infrared: Cooler towers and field of dust (in green) reveal many young stars.
Credit: ESA, Herschel, PACS, SPIRE, Hill, Motte, HOBYS Key Programme Consortium

Far-Infrared: Massive, sculpted cavern walls that Webb will see in high definition are revealed.
Credit: ESA, XMM-Newton, EPIC, XMM-Newton-SOC, Boulanger

About the Infrared Universe Collection

The human eye can only see visible light, but objects give off a variety of wavelengths of light. To see an object as it truly exists, we would ideally look at its appearance through the full range of the electromagnetic spectrum. Telescopes show us objects as they appear emitting different energies of light, with each wavelength conveying unique information about the object. The Webb Space Telescope will study infrared light from celestial objects with much greater clarity and sensitivity than ever before. Explore the Infrared Universe. Adapted from Cool Cosmos by IPAC, with additional contributions from Bruno Merin and Miguel Merin (Pludo).