Which astronomers led the 1995 image?

Edwin Hubble and Milton Humason

Eagle Nebula Pillars Quiz: Hubble and Webb Images Compared

This eagle nebula pillars quiz zooms into towers of gas and dust. Play 10 interactive questions on M16 in the constellation Serpens, thousands of light-years from Earth, Hubble's famous 1995 image by Jeff Hester and Paul Scowen, a sharper 2014 Hubble view, the James Webb Space Telescope's 2022 infrared image, newborn stars inside and ultraviolet light eroding the pillars.

Start Eagle Nebula Pillars Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Name
What is the Eagle Nebula's catalog name?
Const
In which constellation is it found?
Dist
Roughly how far away is the Eagle Nebula?
Hubble
When did Hubble take its famous pillars image?
Team
Which astronomers led the 1995 image?
Again
When did Hubble revisit the pillars in sharper detail?
Webb
When did JWST image the pillars?
IR
What does infrared help reveal?
Made
What are the pillars made of?
Erode
What is slowly eroding the pillars?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: What is the Eagle Nebula's catalog name?
Answer: M16
In Messier's list.
Q2: In which constellation is it found?
Answer: Serpens
The serpent.
Q3: Roughly how far away is the Eagle Nebula?
Answer: About 6,500 light-years
Within our galaxy.
Q4: When did Hubble take its famous pillars image?
Answer: 1995
A space icon.
Q5: Which astronomers led the 1995 image?
Answer: Jeff Hester and Paul Scowen
From Arizona State.
Q6: When did Hubble revisit the pillars in sharper detail?
Answer: 2014
For its 25th anniversary.
Q7: When did JWST image the pillars?
Answer: 2022
In infrared.
Q8: What does infrared help reveal?
Answer: Stars hidden inside the dust
Light passes through dust.
Q9: What are the pillars made of?
Answer: Cold gas and dust
Star-forming material.
Q10: What is slowly eroding the pillars?
Answer: Ultraviolet light from hot young stars
Evaporating them.

Towers of Gas and Dust

The Eagle Nebula, catalogued as M16, lies in the constellation Serpens about 6,500 light-years from Earth. Inside it, towering pillars of cold gas and dust are stellar nurseries where new stars form.

In 1995 astronomers Jeff Hester and Paul Scowen used the Hubble Space Telescope to capture the famous image of the pillars, which became a space icon. Hubble revisited them in 2014 with sharper detail for its 25th anniversary.

In 2022 the James Webb Space Telescope imaged the pillars in infrared, which passes through dust and reveals stars hidden inside. Ultraviolet light from hot young stars slowly erodes the pillars, which will not last forever.

What This Quiz Teaches

Space fans will enjoy these questions.

Where the nebula is
Who took the 1995 image
How Hubble revisited it
What Webb revealed
What erodes the pillars

Did You Know?

The tallest pillar spans several light-years.
Small dark knots may form stars.
Hubble and Webb images differ in color.
The images are made from several filters.
It is popularly known as the Pillars of Creation.