M16

From South Dublin Astronomical Society

M16
Type	Open Cluster
NGC	NGC 6611 Need clarification on this
Constellation	Serpens
Right Ascension	18h 18.8m
Declination	-13° 47’
Magnitude	6
Size	7 arc min.
Image:M16 messier image.jpg

The “Pillars of Creation” photograph of this region of sky by the Hubble Space Telescope is one of the most dramatic views of the Universe captured in recent years. Wider angle images show the dark filaments of gas that give M16 its nickname of the Eagle Nebula. M16 lies within the same field as M17, the Omega Nebula — scanning upwards along the Milky Way from M24 brings you through M18, then on to M17 and finally the Eagle. It’s a rewarding sweep in binoculars. The nebula is quite elusive in binoculars so what you will likely see is the embedded cluster NGC 6611. Look for a patch of light set towards the upper edge a parallelogram of four bright stars with the long axis aligned northsouth. A few extra glints are seen in large binoculars. Most of the suns here were spawned within this vast stellar nursery with star-birth still ongoing.