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Owl Nebula (M97)
planetary nebula in Ursa Major
The Owl Nebula is a faint planetary nebula in Ursa Major with two dark patches that look like the eyes of an owl. It is dim and large for a planetary, so it needs long exposure and a dark sky. It sits very close to the edge-on galaxy M108.
Save your telescope or lens on the planner to lay your camera frame over this diagram.
// Key facts
- Catalog
- M97
- Type
- planetary nebula
- Constellation
- Ursa Major
- Size
- 3.4′ across
- Brightness
- Magnitude 9.9
- Distance
- about 2,000 light-years
- Peak month (any location)
- Mar
- Typical prime months
- Dec to May
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Filter
- OIII or dual-band / UHC filter
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How to image Owl Nebula
- A frame of about 1.5 degrees (around 800 mm on APS-C) fits both M97 and M108.
- OIII or a dual-band filter helps, but the Owl is faint, so plenty of time on target is needed.
- High in the sky on spring evenings.
Framing: what focal length?
M97 is small, so a "60% of the frame" focal length would be impractical. Here is how much of an APS-C frame it covers at common long focal lengths; expect to crop.
| Focal length | Share of the frame width |
|---|---|
| 1,000 mm | about 4% |
| 2,000 mm | about 8% |
| 3,000 mm | about 13% |
How high does it climb from your latitude?
The highest point M97 reaches in the sky. Above about 60° is excellent, 30° to 60° is workable, and under 30° you are looking through a lot of air.
| Latitude | Highest point | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 55°N (Scotland, Alaska) | 90° | High in the sky |
| 45°N (Minneapolis, Milan) | 80° | High in the sky |
| 35°N (Los Angeles, Tokyo) | 70° | High in the sky |
| 25°N (Miami, Cairo) | 60° | High in the sky |
| 35°S (Sydney, Santiago) | below horizon | Never rises |
Also worth imaging
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