See the Pillars of Creation like never before.
A new video released Thursday shows the Pillars of Creation, a region of the sky made famous by the Hubble Space Telescope, in a full 3D image for the first time.
The Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE), an instrument installed at the Very Large Telescope operated by the European Southern Observatory in Chile, made the new observations of the mass of dust and gas in the Eagle Nebula, about 7,000 light-years from Earth.
“The Pillars of Creation are a classic example of the column-like shapes that develop in the giant clouds of gas and dust that are the birthplaces of new stars,” the ESO said in a statement.
The stellar winds from young, hot stars blow material from the dust clouds around, creating the distinctive pillar shapes seen around the world today, the observatory added.
The Pillars of Creation in 3D.
Image: ESO
But the pillars won’t be around forever. Scientists estimate that the well-known celestial formations will be gone in about 3 million years — a pretty short amount of time in cosmic terms. The Pillars of Creation are disappearing because the stars in their cosmic vicinity are blowing away the material in the region.
Scientists have also made new discoveries about the Pillars of Creation thanks to the MUSE data. In fact, they found jets shooting out from a baby star in the new 3D image.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
