The Eagle Nebula - aka Messier 16 or M16 - is home to several well-known cosmic structures, including the stunning Pillars of Creation and Stellar Spire.
It's a stellar nursery, a cluster of young stars, a bright red emission nebula, a lovely blue reflection nebula, and an interesting dark nebula divided into three …
Martin MacPhee (“the Suburban Astronomer”) originally contributed this article to EarthSky some years ago. Scientist, medical researcher, inventor, avid photographer, collector of space artifacts and amateur astronomer, he has enjoyed looking at the night sky since he received a classic small telescope as a 7th birthday gift.