This is the Eagle Nebula. It is otherwise known as M-16 or "the Pillars of Creation". As a star forming region, it has long been studied. The Hubble's images from the nineties have given us a better look at it than ever before. We can now see structures that no telescope ever before could resolve.

This gave us a chance to see these gems.

All of these artifacts are gas, dust, multiple stars in the process of formation and their interactions.

The Demon is five major stars forming and, probably, a dozen more we can't see.

The Sleeping Cat is formed by hot stellar winds interacting with cold nebula gas.

Hooters is formed by two big, bright stars and numerous smaller pre-stellar objects.

Fred is two newly formed stars and a cluster of stars for the nose. A dark nebula forms his mustache.

Sadly, this region is thousands of light years from here and no longer looks like this. Much of the gas will have burned off and the infants stars will be further along in their life cycle.

It really is a glimpse at creation as we are seeing new worlds being born.

-JS