The Eagle Nebula

The Eagle Nebula (M16 in the Messier Catalogue or NGC 6611) is an H II region nebula – a cloud of ionised atomic hydrogen – containing an open star cluster that is located in the constellation of Serpens. Other names include The Star Queen Nebula and The Spire, while the central columns of gas and dust where new stars are being formed are also known as “The Pillars of Creation” following the publication of a Hubble Space Telescope image, taken in 1995, that was given this title.

M16 The Eagle Nebula
Hubble Space Telescope image from the centre of the Eagle Nebula (M16) showing the ‘Pillars of Creation’. The colours in the image highlight emission from several chemical elements. Oxygen emission is blue, sulphur is orange, and hydrogen and nitrogen are green. Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA). From www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/messier-16-the-eagle-nebula
Location of M16 Eagle Nebula
Locating M16, the Eagle Nebula, in the constellation of Serpens from Scutum and the Sagittarius ‘teapot’ asterism

The equatorial coordinates of the Eagle Nebula are:
Right Ascension: 18h 18m 48s, Declination: −13° 49′

To find the Eagle Nebula’s current position in the sky from your location, visit our Night Sky Simulator.

Astronomy, Cosmology, Space and Astrophysics