WASHINGTON

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has captured a view of the Pillars of Creation where the US space agency said new stars are forming within dense clouds of gas and dust.

"The three-dimensional pillars look like majestic rock formations, but are far more permeable. These columns are made up of cool interstellar gas and dust that appear – at times – semi-transparent in near-infrared light," the agency said in a statement.

This is what you’ve waited for.

Journey with us through Webb’s breathtaking view of the Pillars of Creation, where scores of newly formed stars glisten like dewdrops among floating, translucent columns of gas and dust: https://t.co/5ea1kCzU5x

Here’s your guided tour ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/jFiDDrMUPl

— NASA Hallo-Webb Telescope 🕸🕷🎃 (@NASAWebb) October 19, 2022

The region was made famous when it was photographed by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope in 1995.

The new portrait "will help researchers revamp their models of star formation by identifying far more precise counts of newly formed stars, along with the quantities of gas and dust in the region," said the statement. "Over time, they will begin to build a clearer understanding of how stars form and burst out of these dusty clouds over millions of years."

"Although it may appear that near-infrared light has allowed Webb to 'pierce through' the clouds to reveal great cosmic distances beyond the pillars, there are no galaxies in this view. Instead, a mix of translucent gas and dust known as the interstellar medium in the densest part of our Milky Way galaxy’s disk blocks our view of the deeper universe," it added.