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APOD
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
M16: A Star Forming Pillar from Webb
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 wind s, and final supernova s from these young stars will slowly destroy this stellar birth column over the next 100,000 years .
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| Date | December 6, 2022 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Image Credit: NASA , ESA , CSA , STScI , Processing & Copyright: Mehmet Hakan Özsaraç |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |