Celestial hemisphere:  Southern  ·  Constellation: Serpens (Ser)  ·  Contains:  Eagle nebula  ·  M 16  ·  NGC 6611
M16 -- Eagle Nebula, Greg Allegretti
M16 -- Eagle Nebula
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M16 -- Eagle Nebula

M16 -- Eagle Nebula, Greg Allegretti
M16 -- Eagle Nebula
Powered byPixInsight

M16 -- Eagle Nebula

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Description

This object is located in the constellation of Serpens among the rich star fields of the Milky Way. The “Pillars of Creation” (dark material silhouetted in the center) are structures of dust and hydrogen gas which harbor active star formation. They are seen to trail away from the nearby cluster of hot blue stars (upper right) due to pressure of the collective stellar wind.

From a temporal perspective, things get interesting. Evidence suggests that the Pillars may have been torn asunder by a supernova that occurred thousands of years ago. The light from the supernova would have reached us in the distant past, but the destruction from the slower-moving shock wave is yet to reveal itself to us.

The nebula lies 7,000 light years distant within our Milky Way

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M16 -- Eagle Nebula, Greg Allegretti