Hubble Space Telescope takes new image of 'Pillars of Creation'

NASA has released a new, sharper view from the Hubble Space Telescope of a star-forming region first captured in an iconic photo known as the Pillars of Creation, a celebration of Hubble's 25th anniversary of capturing pictures from space.

The new image parallels Hubble's1995 view ofthree columns of cold gas covered in ultraviolet light from a cluster of starsin a small area of the Eagle Nebula, which is 6,500 light years from Earth.

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Inside the pillars, stars are being born, andthe picture was aptly dubbed the Pillars of Creation.

The original image has been showcased on TV and in the movies, been printed on T-shirts and pillowsand has graced a postage stamp.

The new image, which was taken with the telescope's wide field camera 3,offers a sharper and wider view of the pillars, and was taken in near-infrared and visible light. Newborn stars are pictured within the pillars.

The Hubble Space Telescope was launched aboard the Discovery shuttle in 1990.