[New post] Astronomy Photo of the Day: 3/14/15 — The Eagle Nebula in False Color

New post on From Quarks to Quasars Astronomy Photo of the Day: 3/14/15 — The Eagle Nebula in False Color by Jaime Trosper Eagle Nebula in false color (Credit: Brett du Preez) The Eagle Nebula is one of the most famous, easily recognizable nebulae currently known to exist. Within it lies several other, equally famous, star forming regions—including Fairy of the Eagle Nebula and the Pillars of Creation. However, while it's almost certain that you've seen it at some point in your life, you've probably never seen it quite like this before—in false color. Attributed to Brett du Preez, the Eagle (otherwise known as Messier 16, or M16) looks more like a free-floating heartwandering through space all alone, rather than a majestic eagle. Overall, this emission nebula is quite expansive, stretching anywhere between 10 to 15 light-years across. For context, one light-year is 5.88 trillion miles (9.5 trillion kilometers), the Sun's closest neighbor, in the Alpha Centauri star system, is 4 light-years away from Earth, or roughly 25.8 trillion miles (41.5 trillion kilometres). The Eagle Nebula can be found approximately 7,000 light-years from Earth in the Serpens constellation. For those who want to view it for themselves, it is tucked away within one of the Milky Way's innermost spiral arms, where the Sagitarrius and Scutum constellations intersect. See a larger image here. Jaime Trosper | March 14, 2015 at 8:55 am | Tags: APOD, APotD, Emission nebula, False Color,Light-year, M16, Messier 16, Pillars of Creation, The Eagle Nebula | Categories: Astronomy Photos | URL: http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/?p=37652