Map of the Universe

Eagle Nebula

Nebula · Open cluster in the constellation Serpens

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Eagle Nebula
Picture: ESO, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

About the Eagle Nebula

The Eagle Nebula is about 5,675 light-years from the Sun, so the light we see from it left about 5,675 years ago.

It is 21,634 light-years from the centre of the Milky Way.

The map lists it as a nebula and shows it among the stars around the Sun, drawn on the plane of the Milky Way.

Home of the Pillars of Creation. Gaia puts it at 5,700 light-years (Kuhn et al. 2019), closer than the older 7,000.

Key numbers

Distance5,675 light-years (1,740 pc)
Distance from the Galactic centre21,634 light-years
Galactic coordinatesl = 17.00°, b = +0.80°
Sizeabout 70 light-years across

Where it is

Its place in the universe, from the inside out: Sagittarius–Carina Arm › Milky Way › Local Group › Virgo Supercluster › Laniakea Supercluster › Observable universe.

Zoom out to see it in context: Local Arm, a view about 12,000 light-years across.

From Wikipedia

The Eagle Nebula is a young open cluster of stars in the constellation of Serpens. Alternatively, it is catalogued as Messier 16, M16, or NGC 6611, and sometimes referred to as the Star Queen Nebula. This cluster was discovered by Jean-Philippe de Cheseaux in 1745–46.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Eagle Nebula, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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