The ISAAC infrared images of Messier 16

This shows a zoom into the centre of ESO Press Photo eso0142a, with the infrared view of the columns and their immediate surroundings in more detail. The pillars or columns are numbered 1 to 3 from left to right (east to west). The pillars themselves are less prominent than on the Hubble visible-light image of this region - this because near-infrared light penetrates the thinner parts of the gas and dust clouds and only the heads remain opaque. A number of red objects can be seen associated with the pillars : some of these are just background sources seen through the dust, but some are probably real young stars embedded in the pillars. The purple arc near the bottom of the picture is Herbig-Haro object 216, a fast-moving clump of heated gas emanating from a young star (see also ESO Press Photo eso0142e).

Technical information: This image shows an enlarged section of the full mosaic covering 6.2 x 7.5 light-years (1.9 x 2.3 pc) centred on the pillars. North is up and East left.