                        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 September 30

                       Sonified: Eagle Nebula Pillars
      Image Credit: NASA, ESA, & The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA);
      Sonification: NASA, CXC, SAO, K. Arcand, M. Russo & A. Santaguida

   Explanation: Yes, but have you ever experienced the Eagle Nebula with
   your ears ? The famous nebula, M16, is best known for the feast it
   gives your eyes, highlighting bright young stars forming deep inside
   dark towering structures. These light-years long columns of cold gas
   and dust are some 6,500 light-years distant toward the constellation of
   the Serpent (Serpens). Sculpted and eroded by the energetic ultraviolet
   light and powerful winds from M16's cluster of massive stars, the
   cosmic pillars themselves are destined for destruction. But the
   turbulent environment of star formation within M16, whose spectacular
   details are captured in this combined Hubble (visible) and Chandra
   (X-ray) image, is likely similar to the environment that formed our own
   Sun. In the featured video, listen for stars and dust sounding off as
   the line of sonification moves left to right, with vertical position
   determining pitch.

                     Tomorrow's picture: the eye of Mars
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
                NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
                             & Michigan Tech. U.
