The cosmos is seen in new photographs from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, which are so clear and crisp it's unnerving. In an image of the magnificent 'Pillars of Creation,' the space agency increased the (mid infra-)red to give this outstanding star-forming zone a darker, dustier tone for Halloween.

The expansive Eagle Nebula, where the mysterious Pillars of Creation are located, is about 6,500 light-years away. The Hubble Space Telescope first caught its attention in 1995.

The'scope returned to it in 2014, and last week, Webb, Hubble's successor, delivered extremely crisp, detailed photos of the pillars, managing to look through more of the area's obscuring dust than was previously conceivable.

 The machine's near-infrared sensor created the image. It turns out, though, that Webb is also capable of allowing the dust and gas to shine in their own ethereal manner.

By switching to Webb's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), the eerie observation of the recognisable pillars we see above was made possible.

The result gives the entire landscape a more spectral appearance, like a huge shadowy hand reaching throughout the cosmos. You might wonder if we're actually looking at the heavens or somewhere a little more... hellish given the crimson tones highlighted by MIRI.

Similar to a storm cloud on Earth, the darkest greys in the pillars (or fingers) denote the densest clouds of dust. The red area near the top is where the dust is most cool and diffuse.

This new vision offers more precise information that will enable astronomers to create more thorough 3D models of this tumultuous area where entire solar systems begin in addition to being frightening cosmic eye candy.