Astronomy Picture of the Day [1]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. 2022 December 6 [2]The featured image shows a large golden-brown pillar of dust surrounded by a few smaller pillars. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. M16: A Star Forming Pillar from Webb Image Credit: [3]NASA, [4]ESA, [5]CSA, [6]STScI, Processing & Copyright: [7]Mehmet Hakan Özsaraç Explanation: What's happening inside this interstellar mountain? [8]Stars are forming. The mountain is actually a column of gas and dust in the [9]picturesque Eagle Nebula (M16). A [10]pillar like this is so low in density that you could easily [11]fly though it -- it only appears solid because of its high [12]dust content and [13]great depth. The glowing areas are lit internally by [14]newly formed stars. These areas shine in [15]red and [16]infrared light because [17]blue light is scattered away by intervening [18]interstellar dust. The [19]featured image was captured recently in near-infrared light in unprecedented detail by the [20]James Webb Space Telescope ([21]JWST), [22]launched late last year. Energetic light, abrasive [23]winds, and final [24]supernovas from these young stars will [25]slowly destroy this stellar birth column over [26]the next 100,000 years. Astrophysicists: [27]Browse 2,900+ codes in the Astrophysics Source Code Library Tomorrow's picture: open space __________________________________________________________________ [28]< | [29]Archive | [30]Submissions | [31]Index | [32]Search | [33]Calendar | [34]RSS | [35]Education | [36]About APOD | [37]Discuss | [38]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [39]Robert Nemiroff ([40]MTU) & [41]Jerry Bonnell ([42]UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman [43]Specific rights apply. [44]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: [45]ASD at [46]NASA / [47]GSFC, [48]NASA Science Activation & [49]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2212/M16Pillar_WebbOzsarac_1668.jpg 3. https://www.nasa.gov/ 4. https://www.esa.int/ 5. https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/ 6. https://www.stsci.edu/ 7. https://www.flickr.com/photos/mhozsarac/ 8. https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/how-do-stars-form-and-evolve 9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221004.html 10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221020.html 11. https://www.redpointglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/dog-goggles-head-out-car-window-scaled.jpg 12. https://astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/d/Dust+Grain 13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210802.html 14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap211124.html 15. https://www.html.am/html-codes/color/html-red-code.cfm 16. https://science.nasa.gov/ems/07_infraredwaves 17. https://wallpaper.dog/large/10702687.jpg 18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap030706.html 19. https://www.flickr.com/photos/mhozsarac/52475293211/in/dateposted/ 20. https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/webb/main/index.html 21. https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/webb/main/index.html 22. https://youtu.be/7nT7JGZMbtM?t=4920 23. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellar_wind 24. https://youtu.be/aysiMbgml5g 25. https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2017/06/26/how-quickly-are-the-pillars-of-creation-being-destroyed/ 26. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_far_future 27. http://ascl.net/ 28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221205.html 29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 32. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 33. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 34. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss 35. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 36. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 37. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=221206 38. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221207.html 39. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html 40. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/ 41. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html 42. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 43. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 44. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 45. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 46. https://www.nasa.gov/ 47. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 48. https://science.nasa.gov/learners 49. http://www.mtu.edu/