WISE Infrared View of the Eagle Nebula

Wise_wise2022-01_1024

wise_WISE2022-01 November 11th, 2022

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA

The dusty face of the Eagle Nebula and its surroundings are revealed in this infrared image based on data from NASA’s Wide Field Survey Explorer (WISE). This large star forming region is about 5,700 light years away and is most famous for the “Pillars of Creation” images from the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes. The WISE data, taken from its all-sky archive, reveals the entire structure of the nebula surrounding the pillars, which here can be seen as a faint yellow-green feature on the lower left side of the green ring.

Infrared light reveals not only stars, but the dust clouds that, in visible light, are completely dark and hidden from view. And while the WISE view of the “Pillars” is not as sharp as the latest images from Webb, its unrestricted field of view allows us to explore the full boundaries of the extended nebula around it. WISE’s data archives will be a critical tool astronomers will use for decades to come.

The data used in this image came from WISE’s primary mission in 2009-2011. Blue and cyan are used to represent infrared light at wavelengths of 3.4 & 4.6 microns, while green and red display longer wavelengths of 12 and 22 microns, respectively.

Provider: Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer

Image Source: /image/wise/WISE2022-01

Curator: Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer

Image Use Policy: Public Domain

Image Details Image Details

Image Type
Observation
Object Name
Eagle Nebula M16 NGC 6611
Subject - Milky Way
Nebula > Type > Star Formation

Distance Details Distance

Universescale1
5,700 light years
Wise_wise2022-01_128
 

Position Details Position Details

Position (ICRS)
RA = 18h 18m 41.9s
DEC = -13° 43’ 5.0”
Orientation
North is 2.1° CW
Field of View
1.3 x 1.3 degrees
Constellation
Serpens

Color Mapping Details Color Mapping

  Telescope Spectral Band Wavelength
Blue WISE Infrared (Near-IR) 3.4 µm
Cyan WISE Infrared (Near-IR) 4.6 µm
Green WISE Infrared (Mid-IR) 12.0 µm
Red WISE Infrared (Mid-IR) 22.0 µm
Spectrum_ir1
Blue
Cyan
Green
Red
Wise_wise2022-01_1280
×
ID
WISE2022-01
Subject Category
B.4.1.2.  
Subject Name
Eagle Nebula, M16, NGC 6611
Credits
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA
Release Date
2022-11-11
Lightyears
5,700
Redshift
5,700
Reference Url
/image/wise/WISE2022-01
Type
Observation
Image Quality
Good
Distance Notes
Facility
WISE, WISE, WISE, WISE
Instrument
Color Assignment
Blue, Cyan, Green, Red
Band
Infrared, Infrared, Infrared, Infrared
Bandpass
Near-IR, Near-IR, Mid-IR, Mid-IR
Central Wavelength
3400, 4600, 12000, 22000
Start Time
Integration Time
Dataset ID
Notes
Coordinate Frame
ICRS
Equinox
J2000
Reference Value
274.6744990, -13.7180626
Reference Dimension
3400.0, 3400.0
Reference Pixel
1701.0, 1701.0
Scale
0.000385408, 0.00038540839
Rotation
-2.09
Coordinate System Projection:
TAN
Quality
Full
FITS Header
Notes
Creator (Curator)
Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer
URL
http://wise.ssl.berkeley.edu
Name
Email
outreach@ssl.berkeley.edu
Telephone
Address
City
State/Province
Postal Code
Country
Rights
Public Domain
Publisher
Publisher ID
wise
Resource ID
Resource URL
/image/wise/WISE2022-01
Related Resources
Metadata Date
2024-11-25T23:17:49Z
Metadata Version
1.2
×

 

Detailed color mapping information coming soon...

×
Universescalefull
5,700 light years

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