Deep Sky Object in Spring
M97 (Owl Nebula in Ursa Major)

Click on image to enlarge

Date & Time: Dec 27 2019, from 24:26 to 25:21 JST(+0900)
Composed 10 shots with 6 minutes exposed
Optical: Meade 25cm(10") Schmidt-Cassegrain with conversion lens (f=1600mm, F6.3)
with BaaderPlanetarium Moon&Skyglow filter
Auto-guided with Meade LX200 Equatorial & Lacerta M-GEN
Digital Camera: Nikon D810A
Location: Ooizumi, Hokuto city, Yamanashi pref.

Camera Settings: Recording Format...14bit CCD-RAW, converted to 16bit TIFF(4080×4080)
Device Size...20×20mm
Sensitivity...ISO4000, White Balance...Daylight


M97 (NGC3587) / Planetary Nebula, type IIIa
R.A.11h 14m 48.0s (2000.0)
Dec.+55° 01' 00" (2000.0)
Apparent Size3.2'
Real Size7.3 light yrs.
Magnitude12.0
Distance7460 light yrs.
You can find out a reddish planetary nebula of M97 at about 2 degrees southeast of beta UMa (Merak). The nebula is called "Owl Nebula" for its two dark central areas that resemble an owl's eye. The eye is revealed only in the larger telescopes. The expanding shell of its central star forms the planetary nebula. Although its size is only 3 arc minutes or so, easily detectable because of its unexpectedly bright surface. You will be able to appreciate pretty owl's face with high magnifying power over 100. The nebula is estimated about 7460 light years.
And you can see another noticeable celestial body of M108 only 50 arc minutes NW of M97.

Jump to Wide field of M97 & M108
Finding chart of M97 & M108 Finding chart of M97 & M108

  You can find this pair easily by tracing 2 deg. SE of beta UMa. And they can be caught in same field of portable binoculars.
(Taken with f=200mm telephoto lens)



Molecular cloud around ο UMa
NGC3132

Copyright(c) 2020 by Naoyuki Kurita, All rights reserved.
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