🔭 M16 — Eagle Nebula

Diffuse nebula in Serpens

M16, Eagle Nebula is a diffuse nebula in the constellation Serpens, with an apparent magnitude of about 6.4, roughly 7 thousand light-years away.

Data

Catalogue designation	M16
Common name	Eagle Nebula
Object type	Diffuse nebula
Constellation	Serpens
NGC / IC	NGC 6611
Apparent magnitude	6.4
Distance (approx.)	7 thousand light-years

What a diffuse nebula is

An interstellar cloud of gas and dust — glowing where hot young stars energise it (emission), reflecting nearby starlight, or silhouetted against brighter clouds.

Other Messier objects in Serpens: M5.

Data: Messier catalogue & IAU constellations, via English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0) · stored statically.