In over two decades that it has been gleaning into the cosmos, NASA's Hubble telescope has revealed properties of space and time that for most of human history were only probed in the imaginations of scientists and philosophers alike.
And now, in celebration of its 25th anniversary, Hubble has revisited the famous pillars, providing astronomers with a sharper and wider view, shown in the right-hand image.
The captured image is part of the Eagle Nebula, otherwise known as Messier 16 and although such features are not uncommon in star-forming regions, the Messier 16 structures are by far the most photogenic and evocative ever captured.
The recent images show the famous pillars, capturing the multi-coloured glow of gas clouds, wispy tendrils of dark cosmic dust, and the rust-coloured elephants' trunks with the newer Wide Field Camera 3, installed in 2009.
Let's see more gorgeous photos taken by Hubble.
The tempestuous stellar nursery called the Carina Nebula, located 7,500 light-years away from Earth in the southern constellation Carina. Photograph: NASA/Reuters
An aesthetic close-up of cosmic clouds and stellar winds featuring LL Orionis, interacting with the Orion Nebula flow. Adrift in Orion's stellar nursery and still in its formative years, variable star LL Orionis produces a wind more energetic than the wind from our own middle-aged Sun. Photograph: NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage Team/Reuters
A view of gas pillars in the M16 Eagle Nebula. Photograph: NASA/Reuters
A section of the Tarantula Nebula, located within the Large Magellanic Cloud. The LMC is a small nearby galaxy that orbits our galaxy, the Milky Way, and appears as a blurred blob in our skies. Photograph: NASA/ESA/Hubble/Reuters
A spiral galaxy known as NGC 1433, about 32 million light-years from Earth. Photograph: ESA/Hubble/NASA/Reuters
The glowing remains of a dying, sun-like star -- of the so-called 'ant nebula' -- Menzel 3, or Mz3. Photograph: NASA/Reuters
A view of the Whirlpool Galaxy's curving arms where newborn stars reside and its yellowish central core that serves as home for older stars. Photograph: NASA/Reuters
Star V838 Monocerotis's -- V838 Mon -- light echo, which is about six light years in diameter. Photograph: NASA, ESA, H. E. Bond/Reuters
A panchromatic vision, stretching from ultraviolet through near-infrared wavelengths, revealing the vibrant glow of young, blue star clusters and a glimpse into regions normally obscured by dust. Photograph: NASA/ESA/Hubble Heritage/Reuters
