This is Messier 16, more popularly known as the Eagle Nebula in Serpens, taken by the KPO Reflector. I didn’t quite frame it correctly, so it’s a smaller image. This image includes the famous “Pillars of Creation” captured by the Hubble Space Telescope.
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has revisited the famous Pillars of Creation, revealing a sharper and wider view of the structures in this visible-light image.
The Eagle Nebula (catalogued as Messier 16 or M16, and as NGC 6611, and also known as the Star Queen Nebula and The Spire) is a young open cluster of stars in the constellation Serpens, discovered by Jean-Philippe de Cheseaux in 1745–46.
Both the “Eagle” and the “Star Queen” refer to visual impressions of the dark silhouette near the center of the nebula, an area made famous as the “Pillars of Creation” imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The nebula contains several active star-forming gas and dust regions, including the aforementioned Pillars of Creation.
Image Info
Canon 60D with an Astronomik CLS LPR filter, at the prime focus of the KPO 18″ Reflector. 23 subframes of 120 seconds, for a total integration time of 46 minutes. All frames taken at ISO 1600. Images captured in Nebulosity, processed in StarTools, and finished in Aperture.