Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                2021 March 7

                   Pillars of the Eagle Nebula in Infrared
        Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, HLA; Processing: Luis Romero

   Explanation: Newborn stars are forming in the Eagle Nebula.
   Gravitationally contracting in pillars of dense gas and dust, the
   intense radiation of these newly-formed bright stars is causing
   surrounding material to boil away. This image, taken with the Hubble
   Space Telescope in near infrared light, allows the viewer to see
   through much of the thick dust that makes the pillars opaque in visible
   light. The giant structures are light years in length and dubbed
   informally the Pillars of Creation. Associated with the open star
   cluster M16, the Eagle Nebula lies about 6,500 light years away. The
   Eagle Nebula is an easy target for small telescopes in a nebula-rich
   part of the sky toward the split constellation Serpens Cauda (the tail
   of the snake).

                   Tomorrow's picture: a comet's red tail
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
                NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
                             & Michigan Tech. U.
--- SBBSecho 3.13-Linux