Pillars of Creation

space · stars · hubble telescope · nebula

Cosmic star nurseries. The Pillars of Creation are giant clouds of gas and dust in the Eagle Nebula, about 6,500 to 7,000 light-years away from Earth. Stars are actively forming inside these pillars as gravity pulls the material together.

Famous space photo. The Hubble Space Telescope took the most famous picture of the Pillars of Creation, showing them in stunning detail. This image became one of the most iconic photographs in all of astronomy.

Named for their shape. These clouds are called pillars because they look like giant elephant trunks stretching through space. The name perfectly captures their tall, curved appearance against the darkness.

Being eaten by light. Young, hot stars nearby are blasting the pillars with powerful radiation that slowly eats away at the gas and dust. This process shapes the pillars and actually helps trigger new star birth.

Discovered in 1920. Astronomer John Charles Duncan first spotted these pillars using the Mount Wilson Observatory telescope long before Hubble brought them into sharp focus.