APOD: M16: A Star Forming Pillar from Webb (2022 Dec 06)

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APOD: M16: A Star Forming Pillar from Webb (2022 Dec 06)

Post by APOD Robot » Tue Dec 06, 2022 5:07 am

Image M16: A Star Forming Pillar from Webb

Explanation: What’s happening inside this interstellar mountain? Stars are forming. The mountain is actually a column of gas and dust in the picturesque Eagle Nebula (M16). A pillar like this is so low in density that you could easily fly though it -- it only appears solid because of its high dust content and great depth. The glowing areas are lit internally by newly formed stars. These areas shine in red and infrared light because blue light is scattered away by intervening interstellar dust. The featured image was captured recently in near-infrared light in unprecedented detail by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), launched late last year. Energetic light, abrasive winds, and final supernovas from these young stars will slowly destroy this stellar birth column over the next 100,000 years.

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Re: APOD: M16: A Star Forming Pillar from Webb (2022 Dec 06)

Post by poogs » Tue Dec 06, 2022 7:50 am

What is the cause of the dark spots in the centre of the nearer stars ? Is it an optical, electronic or software effect ?

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Re: APOD: M16: A Star Forming Pillar from Webb (2022 Dec 06)

Post by Sa Ji Tario » Tue Dec 06, 2022 12:44 pm

poogs wrote: Tue Dec 06, 2022 7:50 am What is the cause of the dark spots in the centre of the nearer stars ? Is it an optical, electronic or software effect ?
It is a characteristic of digital photography of very bright sources.

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Re: APOD: M16: A Star Forming Pillar from Webb (2022 Dec 06)

Post by johnnydeep » Tue Dec 06, 2022 2:47 pm

Thanks. I was having trouble placing it in the larger Pillars of Creation pic because I was fixated on the top three pillars and really didn't even consider that one much lower down!
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Re: APOD: M16: A Star Forming Pillar from Webb (2022 Dec 06)

Post by VictorBorun » Tue Dec 06, 2022 3:40 pm

I wonder if the exposed dusty wisps are accelerated like solar sails, if these are two stages of their movement and evaporation:
Pillars of Creation Webb 2 1.jpg
Pillars of Creation Webb 2 2.jpg
Pillars of Creation Webb 2..jpg

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Re: APOD: M16: A Star Forming Pillar from Webb (2022 Dec 06)

Post by Chris Peterson » Tue Dec 06, 2022 4:00 pm

poogs wrote: Tue Dec 06, 2022 7:50 am What is the cause of the dark spots in the centre of the nearer stars ? Is it an optical, electronic or software effect ?
It is a consequence of the post processing pipeline and how a baseline zero value is established. Saturated pixels (which contain limited information on actual intensity) are rendered black. This is useful when you're analyzing an image scientifically, but most processors going for an aesthetic result replace them with white.
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Re: APOD: M16: A Star Forming Pillar from Webb (2022 Dec 06)

Post by VictorBorun » Tue Dec 06, 2022 4:02 pm

APOD clipped a ghostly capuchin:
Pillars of Creation Webb 2 3.jpg

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Re: APOD: M16: A Star Forming Pillar from Webb (2022 Dec 06)

Post by VictorBorun » Tue Dec 06, 2022 4:38 pm

there are many planes in The Pillars' cloudscape…
but it looks like there are some close lamp–object pairs too:
Pillars of Creation Webb 2 4.jpg

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