M16

The Eagle Nebula (M16) is a young (1-3×106 yr), active, high-mass SF region in Serpens (d~2 kpc). Responsible for heating and ionising the Nebula is the young open star cluster NGC6611, containing four early-type O stars, leading to a high average UV-field of ~G0 . The transition between HII region and dense, cold gas is rather sharp with many UV-illuminated features. In particular the Hubble imaging of the Pillars of Creation has made M 16 iconic. M16 is well suited to study the mechanical (stellar winds) and radiative energy (UV field) incident on the molecular cloud complex, shaping the gas into pillars and other features. Herschel studies showed that the cluster impacts the temperature within the molecular cloud, i.e., future star-forming sites, modifying the initial conditions for collapse and affecting the evolutionary criteria of protostars.

Literature links
Herschel
Hill T., et al. 2012, A&A, 542, 114
Pillars
Pound M., et al. 2007, Astrophysics and Space Science, Vol. 307, 1-3, pp. 187
Pound M., et al. 2005, Astrophysics and Space Science, Vol. 298, 1-2, pp. 177
Pound, M. 1998, ApJ, 493L, 113