Caption: There are few clearer examples anywhere of the intimate relationship between dust, gas and young stars than M16. We see a young cluster of stars (NGC 6611), which formed about 2 million years ago, illuminating a cloud of hydrogen gas. The glowing hydrogen provides a vivid background against which are seen numerous dark lanes and discrete globules of dust. Many of the dusty clouds are edged with bright rims, which indicate the direction of the exciting stars and point to the cluster as the energizing source.
Copyright: (c) 1986 Anglo-Australian Telescope Board, photograph by David Malin
