The Pillars of Creation
Chances are, if you have ever had even a remote interest in the Universe, that you must have come across this very popular image called the ‘Pillars of Creation’. It was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope on the 1st of April, 1995 by astronomers Jeff Hester and Paul Scowen from Arizona State University. The ‘pillars’ are a part of the Eagle Nebula in the Serpens constellation and form a region of interstellar gas and dust situated about 6500–7000 light years away from the Earth. This means that light from this region takes 6500–7000 years to reach the Earth so we are essentially seeing 7000 years into the past (give this a read for more insight on how this works). The Pillars of Creation is perhaps one of the most impactful and jaw-dropping images ever captured by the Hubble Space Telescope and that is saying something.
“This was the first time that we were able to observe the process of photoevaporation with our own eyes and it changed the way we looked at star formation”
The most fascinating thing about these gigantic pillars which measure an astounding 5 light years across (for perspective, the distance between the Sun and its closest star, Proxima Centauri is around 4 light years) is that this is a region of active star formation. The interstellar gas, composed majorly of molecular hydrogen, coalesces and collapses in on its own weight until it is dense enough to perform the dance of fusion and voila, a star is born. The pillars, however, do come with a caveat. The Eagle nebula has a tremendous amount of young, hot stars that are constantly emitting highly energetic ultraviolet radiation and violent stellar winds which then heats up the gas and causes it to evaporate away, indicated by the bluish haze around the edge of the pillars, in a process known as ‘photoevaporation’. Once the gas evaporates what is left behind is known as an EGG (evaporating gaseous globule) which is dense enough that it can shield itself from the UV radiation thrown around by the stars around. These EGGs are exactly like the thing they spell out; eggs. Eggs that ultimately hatch and give birth to stars. The process of creation laid bare right in front of our eyes. This was the first time that we were able to observe the process of photoevaporation with our own eyes and it changed the way we looked at star formation. It was earlier theorised that the pillars were being blown apart by a supernova explosion and that they have been completely blown away some 5000 years ago based on infrared images captured by the Spitzer Space Telescope. This has, however, been disproved and fortunately, we will have these stunning pillars around for another 100,000 more years.
“The string of events that has led to our existence in this world today as a living, breathing manifestation of the Universe’s metamorphosis will never be repeated ever again”
As I said earlier, this is one of the most beautiful pictures to have ever been captured. We have managed to capture a moment in time where the Universe is giving birth to itself, a moment of creation brought to life by something we humans created. The Universe is under a constant metamorphosis. We are surrounded by creation; by change. Each moment in the past, present, and future of our world is a completely unique moment in time. The string of events that has led to our existence in this world today as a living, breathing manifestation of the Universe’s metamorphosis will never be repeated ever again. You are the Universe’s happy little accident. Born out of a grand game of chance being played by a world that knows not of your existence. One day the clumps of gas in the Pillars of Creation will become hot enough to form actual stars. If the roll of the dice permits, these stars will have worlds of their own that will form around them. The dice with an infinite number of sides will again be rolled and if it is STILL in favour, one of those thousands of worlds will have life on it that will perhaps ask the same questions we ask ourselves today. This process, of course, will take billions and billions of years so plug in your headphones and be a little patient. Give the Universe some time to work its magic.
“What have we missed that has already happened and what will we miss that is eventually going to happen?”
As hopeful as this might sound, in all likelihood, the pillars will not form stars with tiny little worlds around them. You see, it is one of the more hostile regions in the Universe with nearby stars continuously ripping apart the gas in the pillars. As more new stars will start taking birth, it will rip the pillars apart even more until they are eventually no more. Destroyed by its own creation. If humans are still around at that point in whichever part of the Universe and still have their eyes set on this region, they will not see these magnificent structures. Nobody knows what they will see at that point; not even the Universe. They will just look at a region in the sky filled with a lot of stars, not very different from how we see most of the Universe today. Which begs the question: what have we missed that has already happened and what will we miss that is eventually going to happen? We are alive today and will be alive for however many years in the future. We see things and we forget they exist. We exist only within the narrow confines of our brains; trapped by the limits the Universe has set on itself. And yet, despite all our limits, we have managed to put a piece of mirror up in the heavens and managed to view the Universe creating something that is truly spectacular. It almost feels wrong when you think about it. It feels out of place. Yet, here we are. Trapped but liberated. Confined but set free. And here is what we are capable of. We are the Universe’s sentience. We are the Universe trapped within itself.
“Energy can neither be created nor be destroyed”
The Pillars of Creation is as much a region of destruction as it is of creation. It is a stark reminder of how even in the most hostile environments, you can find something of value. Destruction is followed by creation which creates further destruction. Nothing can be created out of thin air. Everything we see around ourselves today, from the phone in our hand to the lamp on our night stand; from the place that you live in to the body that you thrive in; all of it owes its existence to the moment this beautiful Universe was created in one mighty explosion. Energy can neither be created nor be destroyed. As is often said, you are quite literally made from star stuff. Everything is. Once the Earth and everything we know ceases to exist, these atoms and molecules will continue on in one form or the other. They will someday be a part of another star somewhere or exist in the form of another planet or go hurtling across space in the form of energy. A tiny part that was once alive. A part that once looked up at the sky and wondered about its place in the world which has now become a part of the world. And there we shall rise again and form part of the pillars that hold up the delicate reality of the world around us.
In the eternity of time, we will eventually become the new Pillars of Creation.
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