object as a planetary nebula. When William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse, observed the nebula in Ireland in 1848, his hand-drawn illustration resembled an owl's head. In his notes, the object was described as “Two stars considerably apart in the central region, dark penumbra round each spiral arrangement, with stars as apparent centres of attraction. Stars sparkling in it; resolvable.” It has been known as the Owl Nebula ever since. More recent developments in the late 1900s include the discovery of a giant red halo of wind extended around its inner shells, and the mapping of the nebula's structure. Observing Although the Owl Nebula can not be seen with the naked eye, a faint image of it can be observed under remarkably good conditions with a small telescope or 20×80 binoculars. To make out the nebula's more distinctive owl like eye features, a telescope with an aperture 10" or better is required. To locate the nebula in the night sky, look to the southwest corner of the Big Dipper's bowl, marked by the star Beta Ursae Majoris. From there, M97 lies just over 2.5 degrees in the southeast direction towards the star positioned opposite Beta Ursae Majoris in the other bottom corner of the Big Dippers Bowl, Gamma Ursae Majoris; which marks the constellations southwest corner. M97, together with Alpha Ursae Majoris, point the way to Polaris. Gallery See also Messier object List of Messier objects New General Catalogue List of planetary nebulae References External links The Owl Nebula @ SEDS Messier pages The Owl Nebula at Calar Alto Observatory NightSkyInfo.com – M97, the Owl Nebula The Owl Nebula (M97) at Constellation Guide Messier 97: Owl Nebula at Messier Objects Messier objects NGC objects Planetary nebulae Ursa Major (constellation) Astronomical objects discovered in 1781 Discoveries by Pierre Méchain