The Eagle Nebula, (M16, NGC 6611, aka Star Queen Nebula) is located in the Sagittarius Arm of the Milky Way and is part of the constellation Serpens. It is a region of interstellar ionized hydrogen (H II) and an area of active star formation with about 8,000 stars in the cluster near its core.
Camera: ASI2600MC | Scope: 749mm Askar 107PHQ | Exposure: 1 hr 21 min | Date: 2024-09-03
The Eagle Nebula is located about 5,600 lightyears from Earth. This emission nebula was previously thought to be more than 7,000 lightyears away, “but a recent study using data from the Gaia telescope published in the Astrophysical Journal in Jan. 2019 suggests its quite a bit closer.” [1]
Camera: ASI2600MC | Scope: 749mm Askar 107PHQ | Exposure: 1 hr 21 min | Date: 2024-09-03 | Annotated Version
The brightest star in this region is HD 168076. It is a binary star with a luminosity estimated at one million times that of our Sun. The Eagle Nebula is also home to the iconic Pillars of Creation, which were made famous by an image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in 1995.
Finding chart mapping process created in Pixinsight (Pleiades Astrophoto)
The small red rectangle at the centre of the finding chart (above), shows the actual orientation and location of the M16 photograph.
[1] reference: Space.com, https://www.space.com/16396-eagle-nebula-m16-hubble-images-pillars-of-creation.html
