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An orange and brown pillar of gas and dust rears up against a blue background dotted with pinkish stars. The pillar is brighter and more distinct toward the top and dimmer and more diffuse toward the bottom. Gas is streaming off the top of the pillar.

Carina Pillar

Composed of gas and dust, this pillar resides in a tempestuous stellar nursery called the Carina Nebula, located 7,500 light-years away in the southern constellation Carina. The Hubble Space Telescope image captures the tip of the 3-light-year-long pillar, bathed in the glow of light from hot, massive stars off the top of the image. Radiation and fast winds (streams of charged particles) from these stars are sculpting the pillar and causing new stars to form within it. Streamers of gas and dust can be seen flowing off the top of the structure.

Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team
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Image CreditNASA, ESA, and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team
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