Hubble Space Telescope Captures Stunning New Image Of The Pillars Of Creation

Note: Larger, even more breathtaking full-res version HERE.

From geekology, To celebrate 25 years of the Hubble Space Telescope space telescoping (since 1990!), astronomers had it turn its attention to the Pillars of Creation, one of Hubble's most iconic subjects, to capture this higher-definition version. Man, that middle pillar kinda looks like a penis with a ruby for an eyeball.
Stars are forming deep inside the towering structures. The light-years long columns of cold gas and dust are some 6,500 light-years distant in M16, the Eagle Nebula, toward the constellation Serpens. Sculpted and eroded by the energetic ultraviolet light and powerful winds from M16's cluster of young, massive stars, the cosmic pillars themselves are destined for destruction. But the turbulent environment of star formation within M16, whose spectacular details are captured in this Hubble visible-light snapshot, is likely similar to the environment that formed our own Sun.

Damn, the pillars themselves are light-years tall? That is very, VERY hard for me to comprehend. Also -- if I have my grocery store savings card and it says with my card something is 2/$7.00, does that mean I can still get one for $3.50, or do I have to get two for the savings? I always do just in case, but I'm still not convinced I HAVE to. I feel like they're trying to trick stupid people into buying more. "Sounds like it's working." I don't even know what you're trying to say, but I do know I don't like the way you said it.

Thanks to Melissa, who's convinced Hubble has taken pictures of aliens that NASA refuses to release because everybody will lose their shit.