A diffuse nebula surrounding the star cluster M16 (NGC 6611) in Serpens, also known as IC 4703. It is about ½° wide. Dark columns of gas and dust, termed elephant trunks, protrude into the brighter parts of the nebula. New stars are being born from denser pockets within the elephant trunks, a process photographed in 1995 by the Hubble Space Telescope. The Eagle Nebula lies 8500 l.y. away.

http://www.eso.org/public/images/eso0926a/