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| This NASA/ESA Hubble image shows a 9.5 light-year tall gas pillar in the Eagle Nebula, 7,000 light-years from Earth. |
As part of the European Space Agency (ESA) and Hubble Space Telescope’s 35th anniversary celebrations, a new image series is being released, revisiting some of Hubble’s most iconic targets with fresh data and enhanced processing techniques. The latest update features the Eagle Nebula, a stunning cosmic structure that was originally captured by Hubble in 2005 to mark the telescope’s 15th anniversary.
The newly processed image offers an even more detailed view of the Eagle Nebula, also known as Messier 16, which is located around 7,000 light-years away in the constellation Serpens. This spectacular nebula is home to regions of intense star formation and vast clouds of gas and dust, sculpted by radiation and winds from newborn stars.
One of the most striking elements of the image is a towering pillar of cold gas and dust, which stretches a colossal 9.5 light-years into space. This dusty pillar is just a small section of the larger nebula, but its dramatic structure is one of the most recognizable features in the region. The Eagle Nebula gets its name from its resemblance to an eagle with its wings spread out, a shape accentuated by dark, dense clouds in the nebula’s edge.
Not far from the area depicted in this new image lies the famous “Pillars of Creation,” another iconic feature of the Eagle Nebula, which Hubble has photographed multiple times. The Pillars of Creation are vast structures where new stars are being born, with gas and dust surrounding these infant stars.
At the heart of the nebula lies a young star cluster, which has sculpted the surrounding gas and dust through its intense radiation and solar winds. These young stars have cleared an enormous cavity in the nebula, creating fantastical shapes and pillars like the one featured in the image.
The Eagle Nebula is just one example of many nebulae in the Milky Way that showcase spectacular, sculpted clouds of gas and dust. These regions of space are influenced by the powerful radiation from infant stars, which shape and carve the nebulae into striking, surreal forms. Areas of denser gas resist the effects of radiation and stellar winds, resulting in the formation of intricate dusty sculptures such as the iconic star-forming pillars.
The Hubble Space Telescope has been a cornerstone of astronomical research for over three decades, continuing to provide groundbreaking insights into the nature of the universe. The telescope is a joint project between NASA and ESA, with operations managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, and scientific data handled by the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore.
With its ongoing legacy, Hubble remains a symbol of international collaboration and a vital tool in the quest to understand the cosmos. The mission continues to inspire future generations of astronomers, scientists, and space enthusiasts around the world.