Stellar Nurseries

  • Released Thursday, May 1st, 2014
  • Updated Wednesday, May 3rd, 2023 at 1:50PM
  • ID: 11477

The Eagle Nebula is a cloud of gas and dust located 6,500 light-years from Earth. The temperatures there are cold, hovering around 450 degrees Fahrenheit below zero. But within this dark cosmic womb is where some of the hottest objects in the universe are born—stars. All stars, including our sun, once formed from atoms of hydrogen scattered throughout space. The atoms collect in dense molecular clouds that collapse under pressure, producing concentrated clumps of matter. Over thousands of years, given the right conditions, these objects brighten and go on to become the shining light and cradle of new worlds. Watch the video to see a 3D close-up of one of the Eagle Nebula's star-forming regions, the aptly named Pillars of Creation.

Where stars are born.

Where stars are born.

The three defined structures seen here make up the Pillars of Creation—a star-forming region in the Eagle Nebula.

This visible light image of the pillars was captured by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Each pillar is several light-years in length.

This visible light image of the pillars was captured by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Each pillar is several light-years in length.

Overlaying X-ray data on the visible light image reveals the location of many young stars.

Overlaying X-ray data on the visible light image reveals the location of many young stars.

In near infrared light, new stars can be seen at the tip of the center and leftmost pillars. The star on the left is 4-5X the mass of our sun.

In near infrared light, new stars can be seen at the tip of the center and leftmost pillars. The star on the left is 4-5X the mass of our sun.

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Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Video courtesy of ESA/Hubble/M. Kornmesser and L. L. Christensen
Cover image courtesy of ESA/Herschel/PACS/SPIRE/Hill, Motte, HOBYS Key Programme Consortium and ESA/XMM-Newton/EPIC/XMM-Newton-SOC/Boulanger
Visible light image courtesy of NASA/ESA/STScI/ASU/J.Hester & P.Scowen
X-ray image courtesy of NASA/CXC/U.Colorado/Linsky et al. and NASA/ESA/STScI/ASU/J.Hester & P.Scowen
Near infrared image courtesy of VLT/ISAAC/McCaughrean & Andersen/AIP/ESO