|   | 
Credit & Copyright: Science -  
NASA,  
ESA,  
CSA,  
STScI,  
NIRCam  
Processing - Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Anton M. Koekemoer (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI)
Explanation:
A  
now famous picture  
from the Hubble Space Telescope  
featured these star forming columns of cold gas and  
dust light-years long inside M16, the Eagle Nebula, dubbed the  
Pillars  
of Creation.  
  
This  
James  
Webb Space Telescope NIRCam image  
expands Hubble's exploration of that region in greater  
detail  
and depth  
inside the iconic stellar nursery.  
  
Particularly stunning in Webb's near infrared view is the telltale  
reddish emission from knots of material  
undergoing gravitational collapse to form  
stars  
within  
the natal clouds.  
  
The Eagle Nebula is  
some 6,500 light-years distant.  
  
The larger bright emission nebula is itself an  
easy target for binoculars or small telescopes.  
  
M16 lies along the plane of our Milky Way galaxy in a  
nebula rich part of the sky, toward the  
split constellation  
Serpens Cauda (the tail of the snake).   
  
Processing - Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Anton M. Koekemoer (STScI), Alyssa Pagan (STScI)
   
  
  
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Eagle Nebula - star formation - M 16
Publications with words: Eagle Nebula - star formation - M 16
See also:
- APOD: 2025 July 10 Á Lynds Dark Nebula 1251
- APOD: 2025 June 23 Á W5: Pillars of Star Formation
- APOD: 2025 April 28 Á Gum 37 and the Southern Tadpoles
- APOD: 2025 March 26 Á Star Formation in the Pacman Nebula
- APOD: 2024 October 22 Á M16: Pillars of Star Creation
- Star Factory Messier 17
- APOD: 2024 August 19 Á IC 5146: The Cocoon Nebula
