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| Part of the Eagle Nebula captured with the PIRATE robotic telescope, Tenerife. Credit: Open Science Observatories, Open University, telescope.org. Modified RGB-SHO colour palette. Image processing credit: Pip Stakkert - JPO. |
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| Modified RGB-SHO colour palette. Showing the Pillars of Creation centre right. Image processing credit: Kurt Thrust- JPO. |
"The Eagle Nebula (Messier 16) is a vast "H II region -ionized hydrogen" spanning roughly 70 by 55 light-years in the constellation Serpens. It contains a bright, young cluster of stars (NGC 6611) that illuminates the surrounding cloud of hydrogen gas. The name comes from its visual shape in long-exposure photographs, which some observers interpret as an eagle spreading its wings or an eagle snatching its prey.
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| Part of the Eagle Nebula captured with the PIRATE robotic telescope, Tenerife. Credit: Open Science Observatories, Open University, telescope.org. Base Image unmodified SHO palette |
The Pillars of Creation are a 'Stellar Battleground', which represent an intense cosmic tug-of-war. The Pillars are constantly bombarded and eroded by ultraviolet radiation and powerful winds from massive, hot stars. As this fierce light erodes the surface of the gas columns, it compresses the dense pockets of gas inside. These pockets act like incubators for new star systems, triggering further stellar birth". - Karl Segin Outreach Coordinator at the JPO.
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NASA, ESA/Hubble and the Hubble Heritage Team | : |
