'FANTASY LANDSCAPE' High-def version of Hubble image marks anniversary

By Brian Mastroianni

A bigger and sharper Hubble telescope photograph of the iconic Eagle Nebula's 'Pillars of Creation' (R) is seen next to the original 1995 Hubble picture in this NASA image released January 6, 2015.(REUTERS/NASA/ESA/Hubble Heritage Team/Handout via Reuters)

A Hubble telescope photograph of the iconic Eagle Nebula 'Pillars of Creation' is seen in this NASA image released January 6, 2015.(REUTERS/NASA/ESA/Hubble Heritage Team/Handout via Reuters)

In 1995, NASAs Hubble Space Telescope released an iconic image that changed peoples perception of space. Through the photo of the so-called Pillars of Creation, the telescope offered a glimpse at what the origins of our own solar systems sun might have looked like.

Showing three columns of gas highlighted by the ultraviolet light emitted from a nearby star cluster in M16, a region of the Eagle Nebula in the constellation Serpens, the image has inspired everyone from those behind the recent Star Trek films to children who aspire to study astronomy.

In honor of the telescopes upcoming 25th anniversary in April, NASA has provided a clearer view of the celestial phenomenon, with new high-definition images of the pillars that are being unveiled at this weeks American Astronomical Society meeting.

What is it that gives the image such power? For Ray Villard, news director at the Space Telescope Science Institute, the photograph gave people a look at the universe as something that was organic and not a dark void.

It looks almost like a fantasy landscape theres a feel to it that convinces yourself that you are looking at something that is living under a microscope, Villard told FoxNews.com. It defies expectations of whats out there in space.

Villard, who first became interested in astronomy when he caught a glimpse of an image of a similar celestial site the Horsehead Nebula as a young child, said that these kinds of images, made possible by the wide reach of Hubble, are inspirational and resonate way beyond hardcore science. In short, these glimpses at the far reaches of space are accessible in that they make astronomy tangible for the science lay person.

The image of the pillars sheds light on the constantly shifting face of the universe. The gaseous bodies suggest creation but also destruction, according to a release from NASA.

Read more:
'FANTASY LANDSCAPE' High-def version of Hubble image marks anniversary