Owl Nebula

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Owl Nebula

Owl Nebula

Observation data
(Epoch J2000.0)

Right ascension

11h 14.8m +55 01

Declination

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 Mchain 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 its name from the appearance of owl-like "eyes" when viewed 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 in photographs 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 , XRay, Astrophoto, Sky Map, Articles and images

v t e

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 M110 Catalogue of Nebulae General Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters New General Catalogue Index Catalogue Revised New General Catalogue Herschel 400 Catalogue Caldwell catalogue

See also

Book:Messier objects Category:Messier objects Portal:Astronomy

Coordinates:

11h 14.8m 00s, +55 01 00

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Owl_Nebula&oldid=521024229" Categories:

Messier objects NGC objects Planetary nebulae Ursa Major (constellation) OrionCygnus Arm Astronomical objects discovered in 1781 Nebula stubs

Hidden categories:

Articles lacking sources from March 2012 All articles lacking sources

Source Material: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owl_Nebula