M16 and the Eagle Nebula
Explanation:
A star cluster around 2 million years young,
M16 is surrounded
by natal clouds of dust and glowing gas
also known as The Eagle Nebula.
This beautifully
detailed
image of the region includes
cosmic sculptures
made famous in
Hubble Space Telescope close-ups of the starforming complex.
Described as elephant trunks or
Pillars of Creation, dense,
dusty columns rising near the center are light-years in length but
are gravitationally contracting
to
form stars.
Energetic radiation from the cluster stars erodes material near
the tips, eventually exposing the embedded new stars.
Extending from the left edge of the frame is another dusty
starforming column known as the
Fairy
of Eagle Nebula.
M16 and the Eagle Nebula lie about 7,000 light-years away,
an easy target for binoculars or small telescopes in a
nebula rich part of the sky
toward the split constellation
Serpens Cauda
(the tail of the snake).
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.
