Plus, dust is lit up by the collective light from the packed “party” of stars that have burst free from the pillars. This translucent layer of gas blocks our view of the deeper universe. This is also the reason why there are no distant galaxies in this view. Although it may appear that near-infrared light has allowed Webb to “pierce through” the background to reveal great cosmic distances beyond the pillars, the interstellar medium stands in the way, like a drawn curtain. These young stars are estimated to be only a few hundred thousand years old, and will continue to form for millions of years. This sometimes also results in bow shocks, which can form wavy patterns like a boat does as it moves through water. Young stars periodically shoot out supersonic jets that can interact within clouds of material, like these thick pillars of gas and dust. These are ejections from stars that are still forming.
Along the edges of the pillars are wavy lines that look like lava. When knots with sufficient mass form within the pillars, they begin to collapse under their own gravity, slowly heat up, and eventually begin shining brightly. These are the bright red orbs that sometimes appear with eight diffraction spikes.
Newly formed stars are the scene-stealers in this Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) image. This is a region where young stars are forming – or have barely burst from their dusty cocoons as they continue to form.
The pillars look like arches and spires rising out of a desert landscape, but are filled with semi-transparent gas and dust, and ever changing. The Pillars of Creation are set off in a kaleidoscope of color in NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s near-infrared-light view.
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