Nebulae & clusters · Star-forming nebula

Eagle Nebula

5,700 light-years · Light crosses it in 70 years

Across

70 light-years

Vs Earth

70 light-years across

Open Eagle Nebula in Cosmic Scale

In the app, Eagle Nebula is part of the Beyond pack.

About

The Eagle Nebula is a cloud of gas and dust where new stars are forming, lit by a young cluster at its centre. Inside it stand the Pillars of Creation, made famous by Hubble in 1995.

Home of the Pillars of Creation, towers of gas light-years tall.

At a glance

Distance	5,700 light-years
Size	About 70 light-years
Also known as	M16
Pillars	About 4–5 light-years tall

Did you know

1. The pillars are being slowly eroded by light from the hot stars nearby.
2. Webb's infrared view in 2022 revealed newborn stars glowing inside them.
3. It can be seen with binoculars in the constellation Serpens.

Real photos

• The Pillars of Creation, Hubble's 2014 view — NASA, ESA/Hubble and the Hubble Heritage Team (CC BY 4.0) · source
• The Pillars of Creation in infrared, full of newborn stars — James Webb Space Telescope, 2022 — NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; J. DePasquale, A. Koekemoer, A. Pagan (STScI) (CC BY 4.0) · source