This turbulent cosmic pinnacle lies within a stellar nursery called the Carina Nebula, located 7,500 light-years away
in the southern constellation of Carina. Scorching radiation and fast winds (streams of charged particles) from
super-hot newborn stars in the nebula are shaping and compressing the pillar, causing new stars to form within it.
Streamers of hot ionised gas can be seen flowing off the ridges of the structure, and wispy veils of gas and dust,
illuminated by starlight, float around its towering peaks. The denser parts of the pillar are resisting being eroded
by radiation. Nestled inside this dense mountain are fledgling stars. Long streamers of gas can be seen shooting
in opposite directions from the pedestal at the top of the image. Another pair of jets is visible at another peak
near the centre of the image. These jets, (known as HH 901 and HH 902, respectively), are signposts for new
star birth and are launched by swirling gas and dust discs around the young stars, which allow material to slowly
accrete onto the stellar surfaces.