The Eagle Nebula from CFHT
Explanation:
Bright blue stars are still forming in the
dark pillars of the
Eagle Nebula.
Made famous by a
picture from the
Hubble Space Telescope in 1995, the
Eagle Nebula shows the dramatic process of star formation.
To the upper right of the nebula in the
above
picture lies the heart of the
open cluster M16.
The bright blue stars of
M16 have been continually forming over the past 5 million years,
most recently in the famous central
gas and
dust pillars known as
elephant trunks.
Light takes about 7000 years to reach us from
M16, which spans about 20
light years and
can be seen
with binoculars toward the
constellation of
Serpens.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
