M16, The Star Queen Nebula or Eagle Nebula, and Pillars of Creation. M16 is an emission nebula in the constellation of Serpens discovered by Philippe Loys de Cheseaux in 1745. It is located at a distance of about 7,000 light years from the Earth. M16 is a giant star-forming region of hydrogen gas whose emission of light is caused by the hot massive young stars that have formed out of the nebula. Star formation is still taking place in the center of the nebula in the "Pillars of Creation" which were made famouse in a Hubble Space Telescope photo.