The Eagle Nebula M16
M16 · Euganean Hills · 13 hours of exposure
- Museum-grade Fine Art Paper
- Made by WhiteWall in Germany
- 100% guaranteed if damaged
- 75+ year archival quality
The Story
Thirteen hours of exposure from my backyard in the Colli Euganei hills. M16 — the Eagle Nebula — is one of the most famous objects in the sky, but not because of what astronomers have known for decades. It is famous because of a single photograph: the Hubble image of the Pillars of Creation, taken in 1995, that changed how an entire generation sees the cosmos. I grew up with that image. When I first pointed my telescope at M16 and started integrating the data, I was not expecting to be surprised — I knew the subject, I had studied the Hubble frame, I understood what was there. Then the pillars appeared in my data. Not as an icon, not as a reference. As something real, something I had collected photon by photon from a garden in northern Italy. The same structures that Hubble photographed from orbit — the same columns of cold hydrogen where stars are being born at this moment — were there in my frame, at my scale, in my palette. I am not easily moved by my own work. This one stopped me. The Eagle Nebula is a stellar nursery: a region of active star formation inside a much larger emission nebula, about 6,500 light-years away in the constellation Serpens. The Pillars are not decorative. They are the mechanism — dense columns of molecular cloud that shield their interior from the radiation of nearby young stars long enough for gravity to do its work and collapse new suns into existence. What you see in this image is a process. It has been happening for millions of years. It will continue long after the light we are looking at has been forgotten.
Material
Hahnemühle FineArt Baryta 325 gsm
The benchmark of fine art photography printing. Its barium sulphate coating replicates the luminous depth of classic darkroom silver gelatin paper — delivering the depth of blacks and tonal subtlety that deep-sky astrophotography demands. Printed with archival pigment inks rated for 75+ years of colour stability.
Everything you need to know
How it ships, and how long it takes
Production at WhiteWall, Germany, typically completes within 24 hours of your order. Shipping then depends on your destination:
| European Union | 7–10 business days |
| Switzerland | ~12 business days |
| United Kingdom | ~14 business days |
| United States | 2–4 weeks (variable due to customs) |
| Asia & Pacific | 3–5 weeks |
Customs & duties for non-EU orders
For orders shipped outside the European Union, local customs duties, import taxes, and VAT are collected by the carrier upon delivery and paid directly by the recipient.
| UK | VAT 20% + ~£10–20 handling |
| USA | variable tariffs + state sales tax |
| Switzerland | VAT 8.1% + ~CHF 20–30 |
Packaging and what to do on arrival
Fine Art Prints are rolled and shipped in a reinforced acid-free rigid tube with sealed cap. Open the parcel within 48 hours of delivery and check integrity. Handle the print only at the edges, with clean hands.
If damaged in transit: send 3–4 photos to support@sideris.art within 72 hours — free replacement, no return needed.
Print vs Dibond — what's the difference?
Fine Art Print on Hahnemühle Baryta is the gallery-classic option: warm, tactile, framed with glass and acid-free mat. Best for traditional and editorial interiors.
Aluminium Dibond is a 3 mm composite panel with direct HD print, ready to hang with no frame. Best for contemporary, statement-wall interiors with high colour saturation.
How to frame and hang the print
For best results, use:
- An acid-free mat (2–4 mm thick, 5–8 cm margin around the print)
- Anti-reflective or museum glass (filters UV, extends colour life)
- Wood or aluminium frame, internally sized to print + mat
Pre-framed options (Black, Silver, White aluminium) are available above — choose your preferred frame under "Finish".
Returns & the 14-day right of withdrawal
Under EU law, you have the right to return your order within 14 days of delivery, no reason required. Conditions:
- The print must be intact, in its original packaging
- Contact us at support@sideris.art with your order number
- Return shipping is at your expense — tracked courier recommended
- 100% refund of product price within 14 days of receiving the return
For non-EU orders: customs duties already paid are generally not refundable by local tax authorities.
For defective prints: free replacement applies regardless — see "Packaging and arrival" above.
Accepted Payments
