NASA’s Astrophoto Challenge 2023

Welcome to the AstroPix public image gallery for the Pillars of Creation star forming region, the Challenge target for the Winter 2023 edition of NASA’s Astrophoto Challenge. Images of the Pillars of Creation have become iconic, with each new version providing a new look into this dynamic region of star formation. The Pillars of Creation are situated within the broader star forming region known as the Eagle Nebula. Many different telescopes on Earth and in space have captured image data of this region at many different scales, wavelengths, and resolutions, including the recently released images from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. Use these public release images from professional observatories to compare to the images you create yourself for this winter’s NASA’s Astrophoto Challenge. You’ll notice that the creators of these professional astrophotos use many different image processing techniques, color choices, and descriptive captions to bring out details and to communicate the scientific story told by the data.


Pillars of Creation

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Infrared

Pillars of Creation (NIRCam and MIRI Composite Image)

M16 Eagle Nebula NGC 6611
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Infrared

Pillars of Creation (MIRI Image)

M16 Eagle Nebula Pillars of Creation
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Infrared

Image: Pillars of Creation (NIRCam Image)

M16 Eagle Nebula NGC 6611
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Optical Infrared

Pillars of Creation (Hubble and Webb Images Side by Side)

M16 Eagle Nebula NGC 6611
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Optical

2014 Hubble WFC3/UVIS Image of M16

M16 Eagle Nebula NGC 6611
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Infrared

2014 Hubble WFC3/IR Image of M16 (Cropped)

M16 Eagle Nebula NGC 6611
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Optical

M16: The Eagle Nebula

M16
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Infrared Millimeter

Herschel Sees Through Ghostly Pillars

Eagle Nebula
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Infrared Optical

Digitized sky survey image of the Eagle Nebula

Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS 2) Eagle Nebula M 16 Messier 16
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Optical

The Eagle Nebula

M 16 Messier 16 NGC 6611
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Infrared

Infrared View of M16, the Eagle Nebula

Eagle Nebula Messier 16 M16 NGC 6611
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X-ray Optical

Peering Into the Pillars Of Creation

The Eagle Nebula (M16)
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Infrared

The Eagle Nebula in Infrared

Eagle Nebula Messier 16 M16 NGC 6611
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Infrared

Cosmic Epic Unfolds in Infrared: The Eagle Nebula

Eagle Nebula Messier 16 M16 NGC 6611
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Optical

The Eagle Has Risen: Stellar Spire in the Eagle Nebula

Eagle Nebula M16 NGC 6611 IC 4703
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Wide-Field Image of the Eagle Nebula

Eagle Nebula M16 NGC 6611 IC 4703
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About NASA's Astrophoto Challenges


NASA's Universe of Learning

ViewSpace | Video | In a Different Light: The Eagle Nebula

Watch 'In a Different Light: The Eagle Nebula' at ViewSpace

ViewSpace | Interactive | Star Formation: Eagle Nebula

Exploring the Star Formation: Eagle Nebula with an Interactive Viewer

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