14 DAY TRIAL // Using the 0.9-meter (3-foot) telescope on Kitt Peak, in Arizona, astronomers T. A. Rector and B. A. Wolpa were recently able to collect this breathtaking image of the Eagle Nebula. The view is centered on the famous structures called the Pillars of Creation, which were made famous long ago by Hubble.
Upon looking closely at the image, you can notice that the bright area at the center is basically a relatively small opening in a much more massive outer shell, made entirely out of gas and dust. Within the actual nebula, new stars are being formed at a frantic pace, and incorporated into a young open star cluster.
The formation – also known as Messier 16, M16, NGC 6611 and the Star Queen Nebula – lies in the constellation Serpens, the Snake. The pillar-like structures at its core are actually massive clouds of gas and dust that form new stars. They appear darker because their temperature is lower than that of their surroundings.
M16 is located around 6,500 light years away from Earth, and boasts a diameter of around 20 light-years. For comparison, our galaxy is roughly 100,000 light-years across. Amateur astronomers can observe it with simple binoculars on clear nights.