Unlike the supernova remnant, which is the result of the death of a star, the eagle nebula is a birthplace of stars. It is a young cluster of stars which still has within it a lot of dust and gas; the stuff that stars are made of, which over time are whipped up and converted into new ones. The Eagle Nebula, like the supernova remnant, is enormous. It is a huge nursery of where new stars can grow up. At 5.5 million years old it is one of the oldest objects in the list, but there are still new stars forming inside it. It houses the famous "Pillars of Creation" which can be made out in the middle of the above image. The whole nebula is more than 10 light years across or 10,000 million, million metres across. One day the stars in this nursery will grow up and either eat up or blow out all the gas inside, leaving behind adult stars sitting on their own.
I'm currently obtaining my doctorate in Astrophysics making me a huge nerd. I'm a fan of movies, books and games as well as having a big soft spot for music, particularly soundtracks. If it's an hour long discussion about which Final Fantasy game was the best, I'm your best bet.
