Which star-forming region in the Eagle Nebula was imaged by JWST?

The star-forming region in the Eagle Nebula imaged by JWST is the Pillars of Creation. These towering columns of gas and dust lie in the Eagle Nebula, also known as Messier 16, in the constellation Serpens.

The pillars are sculpted from cool molecular hydrogen and dust. Ultraviolet radiation from nearby young, massive stars erodes the exposed surfaces, while denser knots shield material behind them. Some of these knots are called evaporating gaseous globules, or EGGs, and can contain developing protostars.

The region became famous through a Hubble Space Telescope image released in 1995. Hubble photographed it again in 2014, while JWST provided new near-infrared and mid-infrared views in 2022. Infrared light penetrates some of the dust, revealing young stars and details hidden in visible-light images.

The Pillars are about 6,500–7,000 light-years away, and the largest pillar extends several light-years. “Pillars of Creation” names the structure, not the entire Eagle Nebula; the nebula contains other star-forming regions as well.