James Webb Telescope produces 3D visuals of 'Pillars of Creation'

James Webb Telescope produces a more vivid, 3D visuals of the 'Pillars of Creation'
An undated image of the Pillars of Creation. — NASA
An undated image of the 'Pillars of Creation'. — NASA

The James Webb Telescope (JWT) produced a 3D representation of the "Pillars of Creation," an image of interstellar dust and gas captured by the Hubble Telescope in 1995.

The phenomenon captured 6,000 light-years away in the constellation of Serpens was one of Hubble’s first photographs and has become a staple across the space community. It features tendrils of interstellar gas and dust in a star-forming region, Eagle Nebula.

In addition to how stunning the image is, the image, revealed by NASA via a video also serves to display the difference between the two telescopes.

Read more: Perseid meteor 2024: All you need to know

The JWT shines in that it lets astronomers perceive a subject from different aspects, it does this by capturing sensitive, infrared light while the Hubble can only capture that which is visible. 

The two telescopes represent differing images of the Nebula pillars as they erode due to ultraviolet light born out of hot, young stars forming in the region. 

The Hubble depicts brown dust and yellow ionised gas with a blue/green background, JWT has the pillars appear semi-transparent with light blue ionised gas and a dark blue background.

'When we combine observations from NASA’s space telescopes across different wavelengths of light, we broaden our understanding of the universe,” Mark Clampin, Astrophysics Division director at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., said in a statement. 

“The Pillars of Creation region continues to offer us new insights that hone our understanding of how stars form. Now, with this new visualisation, everyone can experience this rich, captivating landscape in a new way.'