The Pillars of Creation (MIRI Camera)

The Pillars of Creation is a small area within the expansive Eagle Nebula, located 6,500 light-years from Earth. The Webb’s mid-infrared (MIRI) view of the Pillars of Creation strikes a chilling tone. Thousands of stars that exist in this region disappear from view — and seemingly endless layers of gas and dust become the centerpiece. Dust is a major ingredient for star formation. Many stars are actively forming in these dense blue-gray pillars. When knots of gas and dust with sufficient mass form in these regions, they begin to collapse under their own gravitational attraction, slowly heat up, and eventually form new stars.