What slowly erodes the pillars?

Ultraviolet light from nearby young stars

Pillars of Creation Quiz: The Eagle Nebula's Star Nursery

This Pillars of Creation quiz looks deep into the Eagle Nebula at three dusty columns made famous by Hubble. Play an interactive set of 10 questions on Messier 16, the 1995 image, the 2014 remake, Webb's 2022 view, cold gas, star birth, ultraviolet erosion, the pillars' size and their distance from Earth.

Start Pillars of Creation Quiz

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

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Nebula
Which nebula contains the Pillars of Creation?
First
Which telescope made the famous 1995 image?
Made
What are the pillars made of?
Stars
What happens inside the pillars?
Erode
What slowly erodes the pillars?
Distance
About how far away are the pillars?
Size
About how long is the tallest pillar?
Remake
When did Hubble photograph the pillars again in higher detail?
Webb
When did Webb release its view of the pillars?
Constellation
In which constellation is the Eagle Nebula?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which nebula contains the Pillars of Creation?
Answer: The Eagle Nebula
It is also called M16.
Q2: Which telescope made the famous 1995 image?
Answer: Hubble Space Telescope
It became an icon.
Q3: What are the pillars made of?
Answer: Cold gas and dust
They are star nurseries.
Q4: What happens inside the pillars?
Answer: New stars are forming
Dense knots collapse.
Q5: What slowly erodes the pillars?
Answer: Ultraviolet light from nearby young stars
This is called photoevaporation.
Q6: About how far away are the pillars?
Answer: About 6,500 light-years
They are in our galaxy.
Q7: About how long is the tallest pillar?
Answer: About 4 light-years
It dwarfs our solar system.
Q8: When did Hubble photograph the pillars again in higher detail?
Answer: 2014
It marked Hubble's 25th anniversary.
Q9: When did Webb release its view of the pillars?
Answer: 2022
Infrared light revealed hidden stars.
Q10: In which constellation is the Eagle Nebula?
Answer: Serpens
It is near Sagittarius in the sky.

Pillars Of Creation Quiz – The Eagle Nebula's Star Nursery

The Pillars of Creation are towering columns of cold gas and dust in the Eagle Nebula, also called Messier 16, about 6,500 light-years away in Serpens. Hubble's 1995 image made them one of the most famous sights in astronomy.

Inside the pillars, dense knots of gas collapse to form new stars. Ultraviolet light from nearby hot young stars slowly erodes the columns, a process called photoevaporation.

The tallest pillar is about 4 light-years long. Hubble photographed them again in 2014 in sharper detail, and in 2022 Webb's infrared view revealed young stars hidden inside the dust.

What This Quiz Teaches

Astronomy fans will enjoy these questions.

Where the pillars are
What they are made of
What happens inside
What erodes them
Which telescopes captured them

Did You Know?

Small finger-like bumps are called evaporating gaseous globules.
The colors in images are assigned to different gases.
The nebula can be seen with small telescopes.
Some astronomers suggest the pillars may already be gone.
Light from them takes thousands of years to reach us.