Night - Fifty two - The Owl Nebula (M 97

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The Owl Nebula (also known as Messier 97, M97) is a planetary nebula approximately 2,030 light years away in the constellation Ursa Major. Estimated to be about 8,000 years old, it is approximately circular in cross-section with a faint internal structure. Planetary nebulae have nothing to do with planets. They simply appeared kinda like planets in telescopes long ago, their glowing disks suggesting a name that linked them to actual planetary disks. The summer sky is filled with planetary nebulae, and these objects give us a look at our solar system’s future. Some 6 billion years from now our Sun will transform into a white dwarf star and a planetary nebulae envelope, long after life on Earth is gone. The Owl Nebula, lying in our sky below the bowl of the Big Dipper, is a great example. Catalogued as Messier 97, the Owl is a bright planetary named for its two dark “eyes,” and it consists of three distinct shells. The asymmetry of the inner shell, with a barrel-like structure tipped 45° to our line of sight, creates the owl-like appearance.
Also visible is an additional galaxy just above and to the right of the Owl is Messier 108, The Surfboard Galaxy. Messier 108 (also known as NGC 3556, nicknamed the Surfboard Galaxy) is a barred spiral galaxy about 46 million light-years away from Earth in the northern constellation Ursa Major. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781 or 1782. From the Earth, this galaxy is seen almost edge-on.
The Owl Nebula will gradually disperse over the next several thousand years. The central white dwarf will cool and fade away. In about 5 billion years, our Sun will end its life in similar fashion.

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