NASA / STScI
The Pillars of Creation are arguably the most recognizable formation in deep space and for good reason, they are absolutely stunning and both seem earth-like and unlike anything we’ve ever known.
NASA‘s Hubble and James Webb space telescopes have taken some absolutely stunning images of the Pillars of Creation in recent years and they’ve combined that data into a new 3D video of “Multiwavelength Exploration” that is absolutely jaw dropping and I was hesitant to use that phrase because it’s often tied to clickbait but there really is no other way to describe this footage other than jaw dropping.
This video came together through the AstroViz Project of NASA‘s Universe of Learning which I have no idea how the funding works for that but whatever it is, let’s give them more money to keep producing incredible visuals like this:
The Pillars of Creation are located in the heart of the Eagle Nebula and were made famous through photographs taken by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope back in 1995. Ever since then, the Pillars have captivated millions.
This video was shared by the Hubble Space Telescope team on YouTube on Wednesday along with a press release that provided an enormous amount of context. Principal visualization scientist Frank Summers of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore is the person who led the project producing this team.
Summers said “By flying past and amongst the pillars, viewers experience their three-dimensional structure and see how they look different in the Hubble visible-light view versus the Webb infrared-light view. The contrast helps them understand why we have more than one space telescope to observe different aspects of the same object.”
A second video titled ‘The Pillars of Creation and the Interplay of Stars and Dust’ was released at the same time and dives deep into the role space dust and nearby stars are playing in the erosion of the Pillars.
In addition to presenting the Pillars in a never-before-seen way, the Hubble + Webb images together show how vital multi-pronged science can be in visualization. The press release went on to say “the new visualization helps viewers experience how two of the world’s most powerful space telescopes work together to provide a more complex and holistic portrait of the pillars. Hubble sees objects that glow in visible light, at thousands of degrees. Webb’s infrared vision, which is sensitive to cooler objects with temperatures of just hundreds of degrees, pierces through obscuring dust to see stars embedded in the pillars.”
There are incredible scientific breakthroughs every single day across the planet but it is worth hitting the pause button from time to time and appreciating something as awe-inspiring as this footage.