M16, better known as the Eagle Nebula, is located in the distant constellation, Serpens. The source of light for M16 is the high-energy radiation of the massive young stars being formed in its core. By studying M16, astronomers hope to learn more about the early years of our own Sun.

Philippe Loys de Ch�seaux discovered the nebula in 1745. Charles Messier was the first to notice that the stars in M16 appear to emit a faint glow, providing the first clues that the nebula was a stellar nursery.