What's that smell?

Impossible stars

images of Pillars of Creation NASA
A clawed hand erupted from its grave: the Pillars of Creation, as imaged in visible light by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2014 (L), and in near-infrared light by the James Webb Space Telescope in 2022 (R).

The Pillars of Creation are a star-forming region of gas and dust that's part of the nearby Eagle Nebula, a mere 6,500 light-years away. Close, but not close enough to borrow a cup of sugar.

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope first captured the formation in 1995, but revisited it in 2014 to reveal an image that's both beautiful and fanciful. Like something from a Hollywood intergalactic odyssey.

And now NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope brings a more detailed image. I dunno, call me a philistine if you wish, but while the new image is impressive enough, I think the earlier one's prettier.

With apologies to Chuck Dixon and Richard Meyer for taking their book title verbatim.