PILLARS OF CREATION

GRACE IN SPACE

February 28, 2023

The Pillars of Creation is certainly a sight to see. There was an original photo of it captured by the Hubble, but very recently a new photo has been shared by the Webb telescope.

Pillars of Creation is named as such because it’s a collection of space dust that looks like a hand outstretched.

The original photo (pictured below on the left) was taken by the Hubble. I think both photos are rather eerie, but the newest (pictured below on the right) one leaves me more unsettled than its predecessor.

A comparison photo between the older photo of Pillars of Creation (left) and the newest photo (right) taken by the James Webb space telescope. (NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Anton M. Koekemoer (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI))

There are a lot of aspects of space that look like straight up art, partly because these photos are artificially colored, but this landmark in particular is chilling to look at. What’s more striking than a bunch of dust that somehow formed a huge hand and is reaching towards the heavens (or in a literal case, more space).

Here is the newest photo in all its glory:

The newest photo of the Pillars of Creation, a collection of star dust in the Eagle Nebula. (NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Anton M. Koekemoer (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI))

Pillars of creation is certainly one of the features of space that encompasses its beauty and danger. There is so much meaning in this image as it reflects the reality of space: beauty is made by complete accident, and is often pretty to look at!