The Eagle Nebula, also known as Messier 16 or M16, is one of the most amazing sights that can be seen in a large telescope. It’s the location of several famous structures including the stunning Pillars of Creation, an active star-forming region of gas and dust, depicted in the image above. The Eagle Nebula contains not only the Pillars of Creation but several other star-forming regions as well. It also has many emission nebulae, or clouds in space that shine with their own light. And it has some dark nebulae, which don’t shine themselves, but which can be seen because they obscure light from other sources.

The Eagle Nebula lies in the direction of the constellation Serpens the Serpent. It’s about 7,000 light-years away, and it’s visible in our sky at this time of year. Pic taken in 2017.