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Astronomy Picture of the Day- Government shutdown so no APOD Today. I will dig up some of my favorites - Pillars of Creation (by request)
NASA ^ | 20 Oct, 2022 | Image Credit: Science - NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, NIRCam Processing - Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Anton

Posted on 10/12/2025 11:51:14 AM PDT by MtnClimber

Explanation: A now famous picture from the Hubble Space Telescope featured these star forming columns of cold gas and dust light-years long inside M16, the Eagle Nebula, dubbed the Pillars of Creation. This James Webb Space Telescope NIRCam image expands Hubble's exploration of that region in greater detail and depth inside the iconic stellar nursery. Particularly stunning in Webb's near infrared view is the telltale reddish emission from knots of material undergoing gravitational collapse to form stars within the natal clouds. The Eagle Nebula is some 6,500 light-years distant. The larger bright emission nebula is itself an easy target for binoculars or small telescopes. M16 lies along the plane of our Milky Way galaxy in a nebula rich part of the sky, toward the split constellation Serpens Cauda (the tail of the snake).


TOPICS: Astronomy; Science
KEYWORDS: apod; nasa

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For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.

1 posted on 10/12/2025 11:51:14 AM PDT by MtnClimber
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To: MtnClimber

2 posted on 10/12/2025 11:51:33 AM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: 21stCenturion; 21twelve; 4everontheRight; A Navy Vet; A_perfect_lady; abb; AFB-XYZ; AFPhys; ...
Pinging the APOD list

🪐 🌟 🌌 🍔

3 posted on 10/12/2025 11:52:11 AM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

The up-stretched Hand of God is fixin’ to slap somebody down HARD.


4 posted on 10/12/2025 11:54:54 AM PDT by AFB-XYZ (( We have two options: 1. Stand up, or 2. Bend over))
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To: AFB-XYZ

Or the outreached Hand of the Creator to Redeem his lost Creation.


5 posted on 10/12/2025 11:57:36 AM PDT by Big Red Badger (ALL Things Will be Revealed !)
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To: MtnClimber

Am I right that those pillars are made of dust?

Sort of like ashes to ashes and dust to dust.


6 posted on 10/12/2025 12:19:49 PM PDT by frank ballenger (There's a battle outside and it's raging. It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls. )
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To: frank ballenger

Yes, gas and dust. Maybe even large asteroids. They can condense gravitationally to form stars and planets...Pillars of creation.


7 posted on 10/12/2025 12:22:44 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

As teenagers used to say, that’s awesome.


8 posted on 10/12/2025 12:38:02 PM PDT by frank ballenger (There's a battle outside and it's raging. It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls. )
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To: LonePalm

Pillars of Creation posted todat per your request.


9 posted on 10/12/2025 1:12:13 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber
What’s not to like about the Pillars of Creation? Probably HST’s most iconic photo.
10 posted on 10/12/2025 2:12:24 PM PDT by telescope115 (Ad Astra, Ad Deum…)
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To: MtnClimber

It also looks a little like a cosmic Praying Mantis…..🙂


11 posted on 10/12/2025 2:13:42 PM PDT by telescope115 (Ad Astra, Ad Deum…)
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To: telescope115

Yes, it is an amazing photo.


12 posted on 10/12/2025 2:14:50 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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