Messier 16 in the constellation of Serpens Cauda (the tail of the serpent)

This chart shows the constellation of Serpens Cauda, the tail part of the constellation of Serpens.

Stars that can be seen with the naked eye on a dark night are plotted. The position of the bright star-formation region Messier 16, also known as the Eagle Nebula, is marked with a red circle and is the site of the famous Pillars of Creation. Although the star cluster associated with this object is easily seen in a small telescope, the details of the gas clouds are faint and challenging visually even with a larger telescope.