The Pillars of Creation

The Pillars of Creation are huge clouds of gas and dust in outer space. They are part of a bigger cloud called the Eagle Nebula. The pillars look like tall towers reaching into the sky. Inside them, brand new stars are being born.

A Famous Photo

The Hubble Space Telescope took a famous picture of the Pillars in 1995. This photo became one of the most loved space pictures ever. In 2022, the James Webb Space Telescope took an even clearer picture. The new photo showed hundreds of young stars hidden inside. The pillars look orange, brown, and purple in these pictures.

How Big Are They?

The Pillars of Creation are enormous. The tallest one is about four light-years long. That means light takes four years to travel from the top to the bottom. They are about 6,500 light-years away from Earth. The strong light from nearby young stars is slowly blowing the pillars apart.

Fun Facts

• The Pillars of Creation are inside the Eagle Nebula.
• They may have already been destroyed, but we still see them because the light is so old.
• Each pillar is trillions of miles tall.

Did You Know?

The light from the Pillars takes 6,500 years to reach us, so we see them as they looked long before the pyramids were built.