---
title: "NASA Releases Breathtaking Infrared Image of Pillars of Creation"
description: "A spectacular new view of the Pillars of Creation, released by NASA, shows the iconic cosmic image in a new light: in infrared."
date: "2020-04-10"
modified: "2020-04-10"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-releases-infrared-image-pillars-of-creation"
categories:
  - "NASA"
  - "Science & Energy"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "NASA"
  - "nebula"
  - "the digest"
---

# NASA Releases Breathtaking Infrared Image of Pillars of Creation

![A spectacular new view of the Pillars of Creation, released by NASA, shows the iconic cosmic image in a new light: in infrared.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/nasa-releases-infrared-image-pillars-of-creation.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: NASA\</em\>*

## Pillars of Creation

NASA's incredible view of the "Pillars of Creation," courtesy of the Hubble Space Telescope, has become one of the most iconic views of our cosmos since it was first captured in 1995.

The agency's newest image of the Eagle Nebula, however, has left us speechless. It shows the radiating glow of the pillars in infrared light — and you can see the infrared light piercing through dust and gas, giving the pillars a spectacular blueish shadow.

![](<https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/full_width_feature/public/thumbnails/image/heic1501b_0.jpg>)

## Now in Infrared

The earliest image of the pillars, a composite of 32 different images compiled using visible light, shows the pillars located in the Eagle Nebula throwing off cool hydrogen gas and cosmic dust.

![](<https://cdn.spacetelescope.org/archives/images/screen/heic1501a.jpg>)

First discovered in 1745 by Swiss astronomer Jean-Philippe Loys de Chéseaux, the Eagle Nebula is roughly 7,000 light-years from Earth, a nursery for stars in the Serpens constellation.

The pillar structure is immense. Just the largest pillar on the left is about four to five light-years long.

**READ MORE:** [Eagle Nebula’s Pillars of Creation in Infrared](<https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/eagle-nebula-s-pillars-of-creation-in-infrared>) \[NASA\]

**More on space images:** *[Scientists Release Incredible Video of Black Hole Spewing Matter](<https://futurism.com/scientists-video-black-hole-spewing-matter>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)