This is the image of the Eagle nebula’ s Pillars of creation taken by the Hubble space telescope in the infrared. The Eagle nebula is also known as Messier 16, contains the young star cluster NGC 6611. The Pillar of creation located in the southern portion of the eagle nebula, about 5,700 light-years away from the earth is an active star-forming region. And it extends to 4 to 5 light-years, which is relatively a small portion of the nebula spanning about 55 to 70 light-years.
Why is it so important to study star-forming regions? Because, the age, distribution and composition of stars which are the fundamental building blocks of a galaxy trace the history, dynamics and evolution of that galaxy. Infrared observations have been the primary means used to search for stars in the process of star formation because of the ability of infrared light to escape from dusty regions and the tendency of dust around young stellar objects to reach temperatures of 20 to 1500 Kelvins. As we can see in the image it includes more bright stars than in the better-known images of the nebula in the visible and x-ray regions. And it reveals the baby stars which are being formed within the pillars themselves.
– Sruthy Chandran
Image Credit: NASA, ESA/Hubble and the Hubble Heritage Team
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