                        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.

                               2022 October 4

                   Star-Forming Eagle Nebula without Stars
                   Image Credit & Copyright: Yannick Akar

   Explanation: The whole thing looks like an eagle. A closer look at the
   Eagle Nebula's center, 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. Paradoxically, it is perhaps easier to appreciate this
   impressive factory of star formation by seeing it without its stars --
   which have been digitally removed in the featured image. 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). Creating this picture involved
   over 22 hours of imaging and combining colors emitted specifically by
   hydrogen (red), and oxygen (blue).

                    Tomorrow's picture: space dart debris
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