This is one of the most beautiful images in astronomy. It depicts towering columns of cosmic dust and gas in the Eagle Nebula, known as pillars of creation. Each of these pillars is about five light-years long, which means even light, traveling at 300,000 km/s, takes five years to go from one end to the other. They are the cradles of baby stars as active star formation occurs here. Initially captured by Hubble in 1995, this iconic photograph was revisited in 2014 and recently captured by Webb's high-resolution camera. This new image reveals young stars in stunning detail. The crimson glow atop the second and third pillars is from hydrogen molecules energized by clouds interacting with young stars' supersonic jets. This image is a breathtaking display of the beauty and complexity of the universe. #cosmosinaminute #cosmos #universe #space #astronomy