Messier 16 is often referred to as the Eagle Nebula. One look at the photo above and you can see how this imagery would come to mind with the head facing downward and the tail highlighted by a relatively tight grouping of stars. Technically speaking, M16 is the dense grouping of stars in the tail of the eagle. It was first discovered in 1745, but the telescopes of the time were not able to see the nebulous cloud we now call the eagle.
To me, the most beautiful features of the eagle are the three pillars in the middle of the eagle's body. These are sometimes called the "elephant" trunks and are home to active star formation. Each trunk is an astounding 6 trillion miles long.
Photo Details
Messier 16
September 8, 2013
Orion 8" Astrograph on VX Mount
Nikon D3100 Camera
60 sub frames at 30"/frame
Total Exposure Time = 30 minutes
Image Stacking in Deep Sky Tracker
Image Processing in Fitswork
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