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Updated November 22nd, 2021 at 18:47 IST

NASA shares enchanting image of 'cosmic castle' with three-light-year tall gas pillars

NASA has shared an "enchanting" image captured by the Hubble Space Telescope which shows signs of intense star-forming activity.

Reported by: Harsh Vardhan
Hubble
Image: Twitter/@NASAHubble | Image:self
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Surprising astronomers yet again, NASA has shared an "enchanting" image captured by the Hubble Space Telescope which shows signs of intense star-forming activity. Dubbed as the "mystic mountain", the cloud of dust lies within a tempestuous stellar nursery called the Carina Nebula, and is located 7,500 light-years away in the southern constellation Carina. Captured by Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3, the pillar was first observed in early February of 2010. Take a moment to marvel over the image shared below. 

The pillar of gas is enduring an "assault"

The pillar of gas and dust featured in the image is being eaten away by the brilliant light from nearby bright stars. NASA explains that it is also enduring an assault from within, as infant stars buried inside it fire off jets of gas that can be seen streaming from towering peaks. But what's most important is that in this image, Hubble captured scorching radiation and fast winds from super-hot newborn stars in the nebula which are shaping and compressing the pillar, causing new stars to form within it.

If observed carefully, one can spot streamers of hot ionized gas flowing off the ridges of the pillars, and illuminated veils of gas and dust, floating around its towering peaks. "The denser parts of the pillar are resisting being eroded by radiation much like a towering butte in Utah's Monument Valley withstands erosion by water and wind," NASA explained. Meanwhile, colours in this image correspond to different elements present in the nebula. The blue colour represents the presence of oxygen, green represents the elements hydrogen and nitrogen whereas the red colour shows the presence of sulfur.

Moreover, inside this dense mountain of dust are fledgling stars nestled inside. At the top of the image, long streamers of gas can be seen shooting in opposite directions and the second pair of jets is visible at another peak near the center of the image. Launched by swirling disks around the young stars, these jets allow material to slowly form onto the stars' surfaces. According to the agency, these jets are known as HH 901 and HH 902 respectively and are the signpost for new star birth. 

Image: Twitter/@NASAHubble

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Published November 22nd, 2021 at 18:47 IST

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