Astrophotography and the Pillars of Creation

Low on the Southern Horizon in the Constellation of Serpens is a brilliant diffuse emissions nebula called M16, or The Eagle Nebula. Deep in the heart of M16 are enormous columns of space dust and gases that are 10 light years tall. In 1995, NASA and the Hubble Space Telescope captured a spectacular picture of these columns and dubbed them "The Pillars of Creation."

In this video, Shadow and I capture an Image of the Eagle Nebula and the iconic Pillars of Creations using Electronically Assisted Astrophotography. The telescope is a Newtonian design, 1200mm focal length, 245 mm aperture, f4.9, allowing for massive magnification and tremendous light gathering capabilities. We imaged from our light polluted back yard. Thus we also used an Optolong L-Ultimate light pollution filter and took 10 minute sub exposures. The final image is the result of 18 stacked exposures for a total of 180 minutes of data. The mount we used was an Atlas EQ-G and we guided used PHD2 software. We used Sharpcap to capture and for EAA and we used Deep Sky Stacker and Photoshop for final stacking and post processing. All colors are natural.

In this video, Shadow and I also take a walk through the canyon walls and remains of ancient lava flows of the nearby desert. We discuss the forces of creation here on earth and the parallels with the forces of creation that take place within the nebulae throughout our galaxy. Stellar winds, radiation, gravity, and heat bring about the birth of new stars, planets, and systems such as our own solar system.

We also discuss the yet unsolved mystery surrounding the Pillars of Creation. That mystery is imbedded in the question: are they still there? It was 1995 when Nasa took the iconic photograph of the Pillars of Creation. Shortly thereafter, the Spitzer Telescope detected what appears to be signs of a star that went supernova. This star is behind the Pillars of Creation by about 1,000 to 2,000 light years. Because the stellar winds from the supernova travel slower than the speed of light, astronomers estimate that the Pillars of Creation may have already been destroyed. But because the Pillars of Creation are almost 6,000 light years from earth, we won't know for sure for another roughly 1,000 years. This is a hotly debated topic. We really don't know and will just have to wait to find out.

Shadow and I hope you come along with us on this little adventurous walk and talk through the beautiful cliffs and arches of the desert and then beyond into the deepest regions of the galaxy and into the very heart of The Eagle Nebula. Special thanks to Dr. Robin Glover, the developer of Sharpcap and a pioneer in Electronically Assisted Astrophotography. And special thanks to the many other youtube producers of "how to do astrophotography" videos. I learn much from them so that I can share these little adventures with you.

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