Eagle Nebula Pins and Buttons
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Description: The "Pillars of Creation" are trunks of interstellar gas and dust in the Eagle Nebula, some 7,000 light years from Earth.They are so named because the gas and dust are in the process of creating new stars, while also being eroded by the light from nearby stars that have recently formed. The pillars are composed of cool molecular hydrogen and dust that are being eroded by photoevaporation from the ultraviolet light of relatively close and hot stars. The leftmost pillar is about four light years in length. Photo print. Credits: NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
