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The night sky is filled with thousands and thousands of stars, galaxies, and other objects in space. But what you see is a mere fraction of our universe. Your bare eyes cannot detect the halo around the Sombrero Galaxy or the towering columns of the Eagle Nebula. In a quest to see the universe at its best, mankind has built telescopes and observatories to peer deep into the night sky. Each week we will have a new picture from one of these telescopes, along with an explanation. This way you'll get to see the sites of the universe from the comforts of your own home, and you'll learn something too.

The Eagle Nebula is located towards the center of our galaxy and is visible with a pair of binoculars, although not with this much detail. This picture was taken by Hubble Space Telescope, which explains the clarity. Nebulas are the birthplaces of stars, and the Eagle Nebula is teaming with new and forming stars. The light from the new stars heats up the top end of the pillar, which makes conditions favorable for more stars to form, starting the cycle all over again.