The Making of 'Pillars of Creation,' One of the Most Amazing Images of Our Universe

[Judi Lynn]

The Making of 'Pillars of Creation,' One of the Most Amazing Images of Our Universe
By Ryan F. Mandelbaum on 07 Apr 2018 at 9:00AM


Three pillars of gas and dust sit among stars like towers of billowing smoke. It would take several years for light to cross from the top to the bottom of these dusty columns. This striking image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope remains, to this day, one of the most well-known astronomical images ever taken.

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An updated image of the Pillars of Creation taken by the Hubble Space Telescope with a newer camera in order to celebrate Hubble’s 25th anniversary in 2015. Image: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI / AURA)

But if you were to peer at the Pillars of Creation, part of the Eagle Nebula, through your own telescope, you wouldn’t see the same thing. The images you typically see of outer space are colourised and processed in order to bring out the detail and highlight the most relevant parts for scientific study. The popularity of the Pillars of Creation may have forever changed how astronomers present images of space to the public.

“Because of the public desire to see pictures like this, an awful lot of people started rendering their press releases using these kinds of images,” Paul Scowen, Arizona State University astronomer and one of the image’s creators, told Gizmodo. “It had an impact on the way the data of Hubble was seen and digested by the public as a general result.”

The original Pillars of Creation image used to study star formation in the Eagle Nebula. Notice the “stealth bomber” effect on the top right, due to one of the four cameras designed to take more zoomed-in images. That image has been shrunk down to match the zoom of the other three panels, leaving the black shape.

More:
http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2018/04/the-making-of-pillars-of-creation-one-of-the-most-amazing-images-of-our-universe/

[Bayard]

1. Gorgeous

[Wwcd]

2. Wow! Beautiful

Thank you Judi Lynn for your continuous & inspiring posts.
Its always a pleasure to read what you bring us

Thank you