M16 The Eagle Nebula

The Eagle Nebula is a diffuse nebula surrounding the star cluster M16 (NGC 6611) in Serpens, also known as IC 4703. It is about 1/2° wide. Dark columns of gas and dust, termed elephant trunks, protrude into brighter parts of the nebula. It contains numbers of of "Bok globules", small black objects named in the honour of Bart J. Bok, the Dutch astronomer who drew attention to them. The cloud looks like three mishigh stanchions. On the top of each stanchion is a globule, standing above the stanchions. There are forming new stars, but they are still hidden by the remnants of the material which it was formed by. The reason for the stanchions is that a very big star is situated over the stanchions and out of the picture. From it blows the starwind and it pushes the nebula downwards. Where the other newformed stars are much tighter than the environment so they sit still in the cloud and the globules are forming at the tranquilly site.

         M Number  NGC   Const   Mag     RA       dec       Type
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           M16     6611 Serpens       18h 18.8m -13° 47´  Nebula and
                                                           cluster