Eagle Nebula

Students at UNR use the GBO to highlight the power of protected dark skies at Great Basin National Park through astrophotography. Here, the Eagle Nebula, a 5.5 million-year-old cloud of molecular hydrogen gas and dust stretching approximately 70 light-years by 55 light-years, was photographed by Adrew Sundquist. Inside the nebula, gravity pulls clouds of gas together to collapse inward. If enough gas is present, nuclear fusion ignites in the center, and the compact cloud becomes a shining star. Scientists suspect the Eagle Nebula has several star-forming regions within it.