Nebula
Eagle Nebula (M16)
The nebula of the "Pillars of Creation"
Hubble's iconic 1995 "Pillars of Creation" photograph shows the 4–5-light-year-long columns of cold gas at the heart of this nebula, where new stars are being born. The young cluster NGC 6611 lights the nebula.
| Type | Nebula |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Serpens |
| Distance | 1,740 pc (5,700 light-years) |
| Apparent magnitude | 6,0 |
| Age (cluster) | ~1–2 million years |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 18h 18m 48.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | −13° 48′ 25″ |
In the sky
Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 76° N. South of latitude 76° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in June, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 5,675 years ago. At that time the first farming villages were being founded; there was no writing yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 101 million years.