1998A&A...333L...9P

We have used ISOCAM to obtain images of the `elephant trunks' in the M16 `Eagle nebula' in the two broadband filters LW2 (5-8.5µm) and LW3 (12-18µm). These pillars are clearly seen in both our filters, their emission has a colour temperature in the range 250-320K. We have also detected bright extended emission in the LW3 filter, in an area outside the `elephant trunks', and with no LW2 counterpart. We report the detection of a deeply embedded source, presumably connected with M16-E31, which we identify as a YSO. However, to our levels of angular resolution and sensitivity we cannot, in general, correlate discrete sources with the EGGs discovered by the HST. Our observations are consistent with a relatively low level of ongoing low-mass star formation, a fact which may be related to disk disruption taking place at early times in M16.