M16 Eagle Nebula

These towering tendrils of cosmic dust and gas lie at the heart of the Eagle Nebula, also known as M16. The pillars are an active star-forming region, and hide newborn stars within the wispy columns. The pillars stretch roughly 4-5 light-years, which is relatively small compared to the size of the entire Eagle Nebula, which spans around 50 light-years. The nebula is located about 7,000 light-years away in the constellation Serpens.

Constellation Serpens

Distance about 5,700 light-years from Earth