They look like real huge stone columns, but it’s an optical illusion. The “pillars of creation” are gigantic clouds of gas and dust in which new stars are born. The photo shows many brand new protstars. These are dense accumulations of gas and dust. When they accumulate enough mass, they collapse under their own gravity and slowly begin to heat up. In this way they eventually form a new star.
PHOTO – The columns in all their glory:
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