Following on from the recent release of a stunning image of the Pillars of Creation, researchers have released another image of the pillars, and it is a spooky one. The new image shows the huge clouds of dust that make up the pillars.
A previous image of the pillars was taken using the Near-Infrared Camera ( ) and showed off the thousands of stars that glow bright in that range. Astronomers can see different features when they look at the same target in different wavelength.
The pillars, which are located 6,500 light-years away in the Eagle Nebula, look rather sinister in this wavelength. Dust cloaks the scene The stars aren't bright enough to show up in mid-infrared light. The pillars of gas and dust gleam at their edges, indicating the activity inside.
The only instrument that operates in the mid-IR is MIRI and it has different temperature requirements than the other three instruments. Dust plays a vital role in the formation of new stars and is studied in the mid-IR range. The pillars are a hot spot for star formation and the dust and gas form into knots that form into stars.
There aren't many stars visible here as they don't give off much light. There are a few stars that are visible, including the younger stars that are still covered in dust, and a few older stars that have shed their layers.
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