Celestial hemisphere:  Southern  ·  Constellation: Serpens (Ser)  ·  Contains:  Eagle Nebula  ·  IC 4703  ·  M 16  ·  NGC 6611  ·  Star Queen
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NGC 6611 or M16 The Eagle Nebula, Al Bates
NGC 6611 or M16 The Eagle Nebula
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NGC 6611 or M16 The Eagle Nebula

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NGC 6611 or M16 The Eagle Nebula, Al Bates
NGC 6611 or M16 The Eagle Nebula
Powered byPixInsight

NGC 6611 or M16 The Eagle Nebula

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Description

M16 (Messier) The Eagle Nebula or NGC 6611

Eagle Nebula, a cloud of interstellar gas and dust 7,000 light-years from Earth. M16 the Eagle Nebula is a 5.5 million-year-old cloud of molecular hydrogen gas and dust stretching approximately 70 light years by 55 light years. Inside the nebula, gravity pulls clouds of gas together to collapse inward. If enough gas is present, nuclear fusion is ignited in the center, and the compact cloud becomes a shining star. The Eagle Nebula is thought to have several star-forming regions within it. The gas and dust that ultimately collapsed into the sun four billion years ago likely resided in a structure similar to the Eagle Nebula. The Eagle Nebula lies 6,500 light-years away in the inner spiral arm of the Milky Way next to our own, the Sagittarius or Sagittarius-Carina Arm. Found in the constellation Serpens also carries the Pillars of Creation.

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NGC 6611 or M16 The Eagle Nebula, Al Bates