Celestial hemisphere:  Southern  ·  Constellation: Serpens (Ser)  ·  Contains:  Eagle Nebula  ·  IC 4703  ·  M 16  ·  NGC 6611  ·  Star Queen
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M16 Pillars of Creation region, IC 4703, GeOK
M16 Pillars of Creation region, IC 4703
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M16 Pillars of Creation region, IC 4703

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M16 Pillars of Creation region, IC 4703, GeOK
M16 Pillars of Creation region, IC 4703
Powered byPixInsight

M16 Pillars of Creation region, IC 4703

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Description

A cropped part of the wider field M16 photo showing more details of the three prominent Pillars of Creation, named by the Hubble Team in 1995, because they contain stars and solar systems in the process of forming.  The gas and dust of the pillars is being eroded by UV light from the bright, young stars nearby in M16 (NGC 6611).  The formation of the pillars may be due to stars/solar systems forming at the "peaks" of the pillars in Evaporating Gaseous Globules (EGGs), which block some of that UV light - the pillars stretching behind in the shadow of the EGGs.  The longer, brighter pillar is about 4 ly in length.

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M16 Pillars of Creation region, IC 4703, GeOK