Often identified as M16, NGC 6611, and The Eagle Nebula and with Hubble’s famous picture released in April, 1995, the Pillars of Creation, M16 is approximately 7000 light years away. To put into perspective the size of this object, the height of the tallest pillar is approximately 24 trillion miles high (4 light years).

In early 2007 an infrared image from the Spitzer Space Telescope revealed a previously unknown supernova whose shock wave may have destroyed the Pillars of Creation approximately 6000 years ago. Given the distance to M16, we have at least another 1000 years to enjoy this striking beauty (image consists of L:R:G:B filters for 80:40:40:40 minutes).