Eli5: how do the pillars of creation just stay the same shape out in space for so long and how did it all accumulate in that area?
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The pillars of creation are huge clouds of gas and dust in space. They are held together by gravity, which is the force that pulls things together. The pillars are so big and massive that they can hold themselves together for a very long time. It’s thought that they were formed by the compression of existing material by the shock wave from a nearby supernova. Over time, the pillars will be eroded away by the star’s radiation, and the material within them will be dispersed into space.
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