NGC 6611

Common Name: Eagle Nebula

Also Known as: Messier 16 (M16), IC 4703, Eagle Nebula, Star Queen Nebula, The Spire, Sharpless 49

Object Type: Emission Nebula and Open Cluster

Constellation: Serpens

Distance from Earth: 7,000 light years

Apparent Magnitude: 6.0

Coordinates: RA 18H 18M 48S DEC -13 deg 49 min 0 sec

Actual Size: 70 x 55 light years (nebula), 15 light years (cluster)

Apparent Dimensions: 30 arc minutes (nebula).

Discovered by: Messier 16 was discovered by the Swiss astronomer Jean-Philippe Loys de Chéseaux in 1745-46. He described the object as a “star cluster between the constellations of Ophiuchus, Sagittarius, and Antinous [now Scutum], of which RA is 271d 3′ 10″ and southern declination is 13d 47′ 20″.
The nebula itself was discovered by Charles Messier on June 3, 1764. Messier described a “cluster of small stars, enmeshed in a faint glow, near the tail of Serpens, at little distance to the parallel of Zeta of this constellation; with an inferior telescope this cluster appears like a nebula. “

Description: Messier 16 (M16), the famous Eagle Nebula, is a star-forming nebula with a young open star cluster located in Serpens.
M16 lies near the borders with the constellations Sagittarius and Scutum. The nebula is best known for the Pillars of Creation region, three large pillars of gas. The name Eagle comes from the nebula’s shape, which is said to resemble an eagle with outstretched wings. American astronomer Robert Burnham, Jr. introduced the name Star Queen Nebula because the nebula’s central pillar reminded him of a silhouette of the Star Queen.
IC 4703, the H II region that surrounds the open cluster, is a diffuse emission nebula, a vast region of active star formation with a visual magnitude of 8, located in the Sagittarius Arm of the Milky Way Galaxy, the next inner spiral arm from our own.
The open cluster NGC 6611 contains about 460 stars. The brightest members are only 1 to 2 million years old and belong the spectral class O. These young stars are about 80 times as massive as the Sun and up to 1 million times more luminous.
NGC 6611 was classified by Shapley as a type ‘c’ cluster, which means that it is very loose and irregular.
Messier 16 is home to several regions of active star formation. These include the famous Pillars of Creation in the central part of the nebula and the Stellar Spire, located just to the left of the pillar structure.
The ‘Pillars of Creation’ are 3 large pillars of gas. The largest of the three Pillars of Creation is approximately 4 light years high. The Stellar Spire, a large tower of gas that appears to be coming off the region of nebulosity, is about 9.5 light years high, corresponding to a length of 90 trillion kilometers. This is roughly twice the distance from the Sun to the nearest star system, Alpha Centauri. The Stellar Spire is being eroded by the ultraviolet light of the young, massive, extremely hot stars.
The stars are also responsible for illuminating the surface of the spire.

Click Below Image(s) for Full Size:

M16 is best seen in low power telescope. 4 inch scopes resolve about 20 stars against areas of nebulosity. The ‘Pillars of Creation' require at least a 12 inch scope.

The best time to view M16 is June-August.

Platesolve

NGC 6611 Nebula

Imaging Details
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