M16: Stars, Pillars and the Eagle s EGGs . ... Credit Copyright: Mark McCaughrean and Morten Andersen ( AIP ), ESO Explanation: The Hubble Space Telescope's 1995 image of pillars of dust and gas, light-years long, within the Eagle Nebula ( M16 ) was sensational. ... Made in near infrared light with the European Southern Observatory's 8.2-meter Antu telescope, this wide-field image makes the pillars seem more transparent, as the longer wavelengths partially penetrate the obscuring dust. ...