Messier 97 (owl nebula) and M108 (galaxy)

About This Image

Messier 97, the owl nebula is roughly 2000 light years away about 2-3 light years across and about 8000 years old. The star that produced the Owl Nebula originally had a mass similar to our Sun, before it shed its outer layers. Its remnant white dwarf core is now about 0.5 solar masses, packed into a physical size roughly comparable to Earth. Messier 108 galaxy is about the same size or slightly smaller than the Milky Way galaxy and 14 million light years away. While the Milky Way features a prominent central bulge and well-defined spiral arms, M108 has a chaotic, mottled disk with no distinct central bulge and only loosely wound arms. M108 is heavily obscured by thick, dark brown dust lanes throughout This pair is easily found at bottom of the cup of the Big Dipper, and a good target for a backyard telescope.