Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

About 7,000 light-years away, in the constellation Serpens, drifts one of the most iconic regions of the sky: the Eagle Nebula. Within this gigantic cloud of gas and dust lie hidden the famous Pillars of Creation, towering columns of hydrogen where new stars are born. M16 is not only a visual marvel; it is a true stellar nursery, a natural laboratory where the ultraviolet light of young, massive stars sculpts the clouds, shaping majestic forms. The light we see today began its journey toward us at a time when our ancestors on Earth had not yet dreamed of agriculture. To observe it is to look back in time, to a moment when matter was arranging itself to give rise to new generations of suns and planets. Data / Equipment: Constellation: Serpens Approximate Distance: 7,000 light-years Telescope: Askar Fra400. ZWO ASI 294MM Lights: RGB: 120 × 120" (4h) Ha: 161 × 300" (13h 25’) OIII: 165 × 300" (13h 45’) Total integration: 31h 10’”