Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2020 December 28

                        M16: Inside the Eagle Nebula
                 Image Credit & Copyright: Nicolas Paladini

   Explanation: From afar, the whole thing looks like an Eagle. A closer
   look at the Eagle Nebula, however, shows the bright region is actually
   a window into the center of a larger dark shell of dust. Through this
   window, a brightly-lit workshop appears where a whole open cluster of
   stars is being formed. In this cavity tall pillars and round globules
   of dark dust and cold molecular gas remain where stars are still
   forming. Already visible are several young bright blue stars whose
   light and winds are burning away and pushing back the remaining
   filaments and walls of gas and dust. The Eagle emission nebula, tagged
   M16, lies about 6500 light years away, spans about 20 light-years, and
   is visible with binoculars toward the constellation of the Serpent
   (Serpens). This picture involved over 12 hours of imaging and combines
   three specific emitted colors emitted by sulfur (colored as red),
   hydrogen (yellow), and oxygen (blue).

   Gallery: Notable images of the recent Total Solar Eclipse submitted to
                                    APOD
                   Tomorrow's picture: a spot of darkness
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