Astronomy Picture Of The Day Explore the cosmos Every day, a new image or photograph of the fascinating universe is presented along with a short explanation by an astronomer. 2021 September 9
Close up of M16
Martin Pugh, Image Credit and Copyright
Explanation: M16, a star cluster that is approximately 2 million years old and surrounded by natal cloud of dust and glowing gases, is also known under the name The Eagle Nebula. This stunningly detailed image of the region uses the vibrant Hubble palette. It also includes cosmic sculptures that were made famous by Hubble Space Telescope closeups of the starforming area. These dense, dusty columns, also known as the Pillars or Elephant trunks, rise near the center and are light-years long, but contract to form stars. The cluster stars emit energetic radiation that erodes the material at the tips and eventually exposes the new stars. The Fairy of Eagle Nebula, a star-forming column of dusty stars that extends from the ridge of bright emissions left of center, is also visible. M16 is approximately 7,000 light years away. It's an easy target for small telescopes and binoculars in a nebula rich area of the sky towards the split constellation Serpens Cauda, the tail of the snake.
