M16 - The Eagle Nebula

This is an image of M16, also known as the Eagle nebula. It is an emission nebula about 5,700 light years away in the constellation Serpens. M16 actually refers to the open cluster in the center of the image and the Eagle is formed by the surrounding nebula. This nebula contains the Pillars of Creation made famous by the Hubble image of the central portion of this nebula. You can see the Pillars of Creation in the center of this image.