Eagle Nebula
M16, NGC 6611 · Emission nebula in Serpens
- Magnitude
- 6.0
- Size
- 35′ × 28′
- Effective surface brightness
- 22.2 mag/arcsec²
- Best months
- Jun, Jul, Aug
- Declination
- -14°
- Filter
- Dual-band recommended
Home of the Pillars of Creation. The cluster comes fast; the pillars and surrounding nebulosity need a dual-band filter and patience.
Reachable from mid-northern latitudes (UK, northern US, central Europe) and from the south.
How long with each smart telescope
| Telescope | Bortle 3 (rural) | Bortle 5 (suburban) | Bortle 7 (urban edge) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ZWO Seestar S5010 s subs, dual-band | 1 h 11 min426 subs | 1 h 18 min469 subs | 1 h 49 min656 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S50 Pro10 s subs, dual-band | 49 min294 subs | 57 min340 subs | 1 h 30 min543 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S3010 s subs, dual-band | 43 min259 subs | 50 min302 subs | 1 h 21 min489 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S30 Pro10 s subs, dual-band | 53 min320 subs | 1 h 01 min368 subs | 1 h 37 min581 subs |
| DwarfLab Dwarf 315 s subs, dual-band | 1 h 11 min286 subs | 1 h 22 min330 subs | 2 h 11 min523 subs |
| DwarfLab Dwarf Mini15 s subs, dual-band | 36 min143 subs | 43 min172 subs | 1 h 14 min296 subs |
| DwarfLab Dwarf II15 s subs | 2 h 43 min653 subs | 3 h 48 min912 subs | 8 h 31 min2,045 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera II10 s subs | 37 min220 subs | 60 min360 subs | 2 h 42 min972 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera Pro10 s subs | 1 h 47 min645 subs | 2 h 36 min939 subs | 6 h 11 min2,226 subs |
| Unistellar eQuinox 24 s subs | 50 min749 subs | 1 h 04 min967 subs | 2 h 08 min1,921 subs |
| Unistellar Odyssey4 s subs | 4 h 27 min4,005 subs | 5 h 20 min4,798 subs | 9 h 11 min8,267 subs |
| Celestron Origin10 s subs | 9 min52 subs | 15 min92 subs | 44 min265 subs |
Imaging the emission nebula
Emission nebulae glow in a few narrow lines, mostly hydrogen-alpha (deep red) and doubly ionised oxygen (teal). A dual-band filter passes those lines and blocks most skyglow, which is why it cuts the time needed from a suburban sky so dramatically. Use it. From a genuinely dark site the gain is smaller because there is less skyglow to block, and read noise becomes the limit, which is where longer subs (EQ mode) earn their keep.
Stars lose colour through a dual-band filter; a short broadband stack blended in fixes that if you care.
Per-telescope pages
- How long to image the Eagle Nebula with the ZWO Seestar S50
- How long to image the Eagle Nebula with the ZWO Seestar S50 Pro
- How long to image the Eagle Nebula with the ZWO Seestar S30
- How long to image the Eagle Nebula with the ZWO Seestar S30 Pro
- How long to image the Eagle Nebula with the DwarfLab Dwarf 3
- How long to image the Eagle Nebula with the DwarfLab Dwarf Mini
- How long to image the Eagle Nebula with the DwarfLab Dwarf II
- How long to image the Eagle Nebula with the Vaonis Vespera II
- How long to image the Eagle Nebula with the Vaonis Vespera Pro
- How long to image the Eagle Nebula with the Unistellar eQuinox 2
- How long to image the Eagle Nebula with the Unistellar Odyssey
- How long to image the Eagle Nebula with the Celestron Origin