Click here for full resolution image
Messier 16 is an emission nebula that lies within a larger HII nebula named IC 4703. This wide angle image of this area shows M16, the larger IC 4703 and the embedded open cluster NGC 6611. This populated cluster (with more than 8,100 stars in ti) is located northwest of the famous Pillars of Creation, located just above center in this image. This area, as most HII regions, is a birthplace for many stars. Specially, the Pillars of Creation is one of the most renowned star formation area in the sky, together with the Orion Nebula (M 42). In order to get a better resolution image of the more important region of this nebula, it has been blended with a higher resolution image of the core of M16, which was taken with a 20″ telescope. This image has been taken in narrowband and has been mapped to natural color (Ha: Red and 14% Blue; OIII: Green and Blue and SII: Red).
Additional Information
Object
Name(s): M 16, NGC 6611, IC 4703
Type: Emission Nebula
RA: 18h 19m 02s
Dec: -14º 05’ 48”
Constellation: Serpens
Size (arcmin): 75×60
Magnitude: +6.0
Distance: 7,000 ly
Image
Date: 2017-06-30 thru 2017-07-02
Location: iTelescope.net, SSO near Coonabarabran, NSW Australia
Size (arcmin): 180×150
Telescope: TOA refractor 130mm f/5.7 and Planewave CDK 20” f/6.8
Camera: SBIG STX16803 (4096x4096pix)
Guiding: Astrodon MonsterMOAG off-axis guider
Total exposure: 27 hours (Wide angle image: Ha: 3 hs; OIII: 2h40m; SII: 2h40m; high resolution core: Ha: 7h; OIII: 8h; SII: 3h; RGB for the stars: 36min)
Processing: CCDStack, Photoshop CC 2017