The Eagle Nebula
Located in the constellation Serpens, the Eagle Nebula is also known as the Star Queen Nebula, the Spire and NGC6611. The common names came from the appearance of the central gas and dust formation, the very tip of this region was also made world famous in the iconic Pillars of Creation photo by the Hubble telescope team.
M16 is a part of a diffuse Hii region (emission nebula) which contains a number of active stellar nurseries, including the Pillars of Creation. the entire region is cataloged as IC 4703 and is approximately 7000 ly from Earth. The “Black Pillar” spire on the eastern side of the region is approximately 9.5 ly, or 90 trillion km, in length.
A close up of the the Eagle nebula (M16) with an emphasis on the Pillars of Creation.
A revisit of this target on a night without cloud interference enabling better data collection.
Taken on 8th July, this was to be my first attempt at capturing M16 – the famed Eagle nebula ! Things didn’t quite work to plan however 🙁