- Owl Nebula
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Owl Nebula
Owl NebulaObservation data
(Epoch J2000.0)Right ascension 11h 14.8m Declination +55° 01′ Distance 2,600 ly Apparent magnitude (V) +9.9 Apparent dimensions (V) 3.4 × 3.3 arcmin Constellation Ursa Major Physical characteristics Radius 1.5 ly Notable features Owl-like "eyes" visible through larger telescopes Other designations M97, NGC 3587 See also: Planetary nebula, Lists of nebulae The Owl Nebula (also known as Messier Object 97 or NGC 3587) is a planetary nebula in the constellation Ursa Major. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781.
M97 is regarded as one of the more complex of the planetaries. The 16th magnitude central star has about 0.7 solar mass and the nebula itself about 0.15 solar mass. The nebula formed roughly 6,000 years ago.
The nebula gets it name due to the appearance of owl-like "eyes" when view through a large (>200 mm) telescope under dark sky conditions with the aid of a so-called "nebula filter." The "eyes" are also easily visible through photographs taken of the nebula.
See also
- Messier object
- List of Messier objects
- New General Catalogue
- List of planetary nebulas
References
External links
- The Owl Nebula at Calar Alto Observatory
- The Owl Nebula @ SEDS Messier pages
- NightSkyInfo.com - M97, the Owl Nebula
- The Owl Nebula on WikiSky: DSS2, SDSS, GALEX, IRAS, Hydrogen α, X-Ray, Astrophoto, Sky Map, Articles and images
Messier objects List M1 · M2 · M3 · M4 · M5 · M6 · M7 · M8 · M9 · M10 · M11 · M12 · M13 · M14 · M15 · M16 · M17 · M18 · M19 · M20 · M21 · M22 · M23 · M24 · M25 · M26 · M27 · M28 · M29 · M30 · M31 · M32 · M33 · M34 · M35 · M36 · M37 · M38 · M39 · M40 · M41 · M42 · M43 · M44 · M45 · M46 · M47 · M48 · M49 · M50 · M51 · M52 · M53 · M54 · M55 · M56 · M57 · M58 · M59 · M60 · M61 · M62 · M63 · M64 · M65 · M66 · M67 · M68 · M69 · M70 · M71 · M72 · M73 · M74 · M75 · M76 · M77 · M78 · M79 · M80 · M81 · M82 · M83 · M84 · M85 · M86 · M87 · M88 · M89 · M90 · M91 · M92 · M93 · M94 · M95 · M96 · M97 · M98 · M99 · M100 · M101 · M102 · M103 · M104 · M105 · M106 · M107 · M108 · M109 · M110See also Coordinates:
11h 14.8m 00s, +55° 01′ 00″
Categories:- Messier objects
- NGC objects
- Planetary nebulae
- Ursa Major constellation
- Orion arm
- Nebula stubs
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