M16, The Eagle Nebula

The image below shows a section of the Eagle Nebula which surrounds star cluster M16 (also designated NGC6611). It is in the constellation Serpens at about 6500 light years (2000 parsecs) from Earth. It is classified as an emission nebula. It consists predominantly of ionized hydrogen and is referred to as an H II region because of the emission spectrum of ionized hydrogen. The collection of hot, bright O and B stars at its center provide the ultraviolet ionizing radiation which causes the hydrogen to be luminous.

下图显示了鹰星云的一部分，该星云围绕着星团M16（也称为NGC6611）。它位于蛇夫座，距离地球约6500光年（2000秒差距）。它被归类为发射星云。它主要由电离氢组成，并因其电离氢的发射光谱而被称为H II区域。其中心的高温、明亮的O型和B型恒星提供了紫外光离子化辐射，这导致氢变得发光。

This is the 1995 image of the Eagle Nebula, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. It was titled 'Pillars of Creation' and is one of the most famous astronomical images of the 20th Century. Taken in visible light using a combination of SII/H-alpha and OIII filters, it shows a part of the Eagle Nebula where new stars are forming. The tallest pillar is around 4 light-years high. Credits: NASA/ESA/STScI, Hester & Scowen (Arizona State University)

这是1995年由哈勃太空望远镜拍摄的鹰星云图像。这张照片被命名为‘创造之柱’，是20世纪最著名的天文学图像之一。该图像使用SII/H-alpha和OIII滤光片组合，在可见光下拍摄，显示了星云中恒星形成的一部分。最高的柱子大约有4光年高。资料来源：NASA/ESA/STScI，Hester & Scowen（亚利桑那州立大学） M16，鹰星云，近红外线图像版权：VLT/ISAAC/McCaughrean & Andersen/AIP/ESO

"The 8.2m-diameter VLT's ANTU telescope imaged the famous Pillars of Creation region and its surroundings in near-infrared using the ISAAC instrument. This enabled astronomers to penetrate the obscuring dust in their search to detect newly formed stars. The research into the 'evaporating gaseous globules' (EGGs), which were first detected in the Hubble images, needed the near-infrared capabilities and resolution of the VLT to peel back the layers of dust and detect the low-mass young stars cocooned within the EGG shells. The near-infrared results showed that 11 of the 73 EGGs detected possibly contained stars, and that the tips of the pillars contain stars and nebulosity not seen in the Hubble image."

8.2米直径的VLT的ANTU望远镜使用ISAAC仪器，在近红外波段成像了著名的“创生之柱”区域及其周围环境。这使天文学家能够穿透遮蔽尘埃，以探测新形成的恒星。针对首次在哈勃图像中发现的“蒸发性气态团块”（EGGs）的研究，需要VLT的近红外能力与分辨率，以剥离尘埃层并探测被EGG壳体包裹的低质量年轻恒星。近红外结果表明，在73个检测到的EGGs中，有11个可能含有恒星，且柱体的尖端含有在哈勃图像中未显现的星云状结构。

参考文献：ESO/VLT

VLT（甚大望远镜）拍摄的M16星云区域可见图像

"This three-colour composite mosaic image of the Eagle Nebula (Messier 16, or NGC 6611) is based on images obtained with the Wide-Field Imager camera on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at the La Silla Observatory. At the centre, the so-called "Pillars of Creation" can be seen. This wide-field image shows not only the central pillars, but also several others in the same star-forming region, as well as a huge number of stars in front of, in, or behind the Eagle Nebula. The cluster of bright stars to the upper right is NGC 6611, home to the massive and hot stars that illuminate the pillars. The "Spire" - another large pillar - is in the middle left of the image. This image is a composite of 3 filters in the visible range: B (blue), V (green) and R (red)."

这张三色合成拼接图像展示了鹰星云（梅西耶16，或NGC 6611）。该图像基于在拉西拉天文台2.2米望远镜上使用的宽视场相机拍摄的图像。图像中心可以看到所谓的“创生柱”。这张宽视场图像不仅显示了中心的创生柱，还显示了同一星形成区域中的几个其他创生柱，以及大量位于鹰星云前方、内部或后面的恒星。图像右上方的明亮恒星群是NGC 6611，这里是大量大质量高温恒星的家园，这些恒星照亮了创生柱。另一根大型创生柱称为“Spire”，位于图像的中左区域。这张图像由可见光范围内的三个滤光片的合成图像组成：B（蓝）、V（绿）和R（红）。NASA/ESO图像M-16区域，X射线图像叠加在远红外图像上。版权：远红外：ESA/赫歇尔/PACS/SPIRE/Hill, Motte, HOBYS关键项目联盟；X射线：ESA/XMM-Newton/EPIC/XMM-Newton-SOC/Boulanger

The far-infrared image was made by the Herschel Infrared Observatory and the X-ray image was made by the XMM-Newton X-ray imaging instruments. The far-infrared images the cool gas and dust, just a few degrees above absolute zero. The X-ray image shows the hot young stars that are obscured by the dust in the visual and infrared images. Both the wavelength ranges used in this composite image would be blocked by the Earth's atmosphere.

远红外图像由赫歇尔红外望远镜制作，X射线图像由XMM-牛顿X射线成像仪器制作。远红外图像显示的是温度极低的气体和尘埃，仅比绝对零度高几度。X射线图像则显示被尘埃遮挡的年轻高温恒星，这些恒星在可见光和近红外图像中是不可见的。在这张合成图像中所使用的两个波长范围都会被地球大气阻挡。