29/10/2022
*NEW* This is not an ethereal landscape of time-forgotten tombs, but rather a haunting Halloween portrait of the Pillars of Creation, taken by Webb's mid-infrared instrument (MIRI).
These pillars, flush with gas and dust, ‘bury’ stars that are slowly forming over many millennia. Although mid-infrared light specialises in penetrating dust, the stars here aren’t bright enough at these wavelengths to appear. Instead, these looming and leaden pillars gleam at their edges, hinting at the activity within.
Thousands and thousands of stars have formed in this region, but these are missing from MIRI’s view. Why? Many newly formed stars are no longer surrounded by enough dust to be detected in mid-infrared light. So MIRI is only able to see those young stars that have not yet cast off their dusty ‘cloaks’. These are the crimson orbs toward the fringes of the pillars. In contrast, the blue stars that dot the scene are ageing, which means they have shed most of their layers of gas and dust.
Mid-infrared light excels at revealing gas and dust in extreme detail. This is also unmistakable throughout the background. The densest areas of dust are the darkest shades of grey. The red region toward the top, which forms an uncanny V, like an owl with outstretched wings, is where the dust is diffuse and cooler.
Read more: http://ow.ly/hAjo50LnzlH
📷 NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration ESA - European Space Agency Canadian Space Agency and STScIJ. DePasquale (STScI), A. Pagan (STScI)