Pillars of Creation; From Hubble to James Webb

If you point your telescope or binocular toward the central bulge of the Milky Way in Sagittarius constellation, you will see several fuzzy objects. Some of them are actually vast clouds of hot ionized gas and dust called emission nebulae. Also knows as "stellar nurseries", these are where new stars born.

One of the most prominent nebulae in this part of the sky is Eagle Nebula or Messier 16 (M16). At 6500 light-years away from Earth, Eagle nebula is an easy target for small amateur telescopes or binoculars, one of the favorite targets for astrophotographers and a wonderful sight when observed by professional telescopes.

Just five years after its launch, Hubble Space Telescope observed the heart of Eagle nebula in 1995 and captured one of the most iconic astrophotos of all time; The Pillars of Creation.

The three impressive towers of gas and dust are part of the Eagle Nebula. Although such features are not uncommon in star-forming regions, the Messier 16 structures are by far the most photogenic and evocative ever captured.

This iconic image has been captured by WFPC2 instrument on Hubble. But Hubble revisited this area 20 years later and with its new instrument called WFC3, installed on the telescope during the Hubble Servicing Mission 4 in 2009.

The new image provides astronomers with an even sharper and wider view of Eagle Nebula. Hubble also observed this nebula in near-infrared light which penetrates much of the obscuring dust and gas and unveils an unfamiliar view of the pillars. Here newborn stars, hidden in the visible light view, can be seen forming within the pillars themselves.

But the new photos from Hubble wasn't the end of story and many people were waiting to see The Pillars of Creation through the James Webb Space Telescope eyes. And that was indeed mind blowing!

Protostars are one of the main subjects of this magnificent view of M16 stellar nursery. The bright red orbs that sometimes appear with eight diffraction spikes, are actually protostars that when knots with sufficient mass form within the pillars, begin to collapse under their own gravity, slowly heat up, and eventually begin shining brightly.

The ejections from these forming stars create the wavy lines along the edges of the pillars. These young stars are estimated to be only a few hundred thousand years old, and will continue to form for millions of years. For comparison, our Sun is about 5 billion years old and will shine as a main sequence star for another 5 billion years.

James Webb observed Eagle Nebula with the MIRI instrument as well. MIRI or Mid-Infrared Instrument detect longer wavelengths in the infrared spectrum and is able to reveal some details in the dust which can't be seen in visible or near infrared wavelengths.

And eventually, by combining images from two cameras aboard the James Webb Space Telescope, the Pillars of Creation has been framed in all of its infrared glory:

Hubble Space Telescope was a revolutionary scientific instrument and changed our understanding of universe by shedding light on dark energy, galaxies and stars formation and much more. Now it's time for James Webb. Our new eyes to the sky to uncover the secrets of universe.

James Webb received its first light about 6 months ago and there are much more amazing photos and scientific discoveries to come from this $10 billion space telescope. James Webb ability in observing infrared light will help astronomers to see some details that were impossible to detect with the previous generation of space telescopes.

It is a great time to be an astronomy enthusiast!