Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Ursa Major (UMa)  ·  Contains:  M 97  ·  NGC 3587  ·  Owl Nebula
Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
Messier 97 Owl Nebula, Astrillac
Messier 97 Owl Nebula
Powered byPixInsight

Messier 97 Owl Nebula

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
Messier 97 Owl Nebula, Astrillac
Messier 97 Owl Nebula
Powered byPixInsight

Messier 97 Owl Nebula

Equipment

Loading...

Acquisition details

Loading...

Description

The Owl Nebula (also known as Messier 97, M97 or NGC 3587) is a planetary nebula approximately 2,030 light years away in the constellation Ursa Major. Estimated to be about 8,000 years old, it is approximately circular in cross-section with a faint internal structure. It was formed from the outflow of material from the stellar wind of the central star as it evolved along the asymptotic giant branch.The nebula is arranged in three concentric shells, with the outermost shell being about 20–30% larger than the inner shell. The owl-like appearance of the nebula is the result of an inner shell that is not circularly symmetric, but instead forms a barrel-like structure aligned at an angle of 45° to the line of sight.

Comments

Sky plot

Sky plot

Histogram

Messier 97 Owl Nebula, Astrillac