NGC 3587 & NGC 3556

M97 Also Known as: Owl Nebula, NGC 3587

M108 Also Known as: Surfboard Galaxy, NGC 3556

M97 Object Type: Planetary Nebula

M108 Object Type: Barred Spiral Galaxy

Constellation: Ursa Major

M97 Distance from Earth: 2,030 light years

M108 Distance from Earth: 45.9 million light years

M97 Apparent Magnitude: 9.9

M108 Apparent Magnitude: 10.7

M97 Coordinates: RA 11H 14M 47.734S DEC 55 deg 01 min 08.5 sec

M108 Coordinates: RA 11H 11M 31.0S DEC 55 deg 40 min 27 sec

M97 Actual Size:: 3 light years in diameter... M108 Actual Size:: 110,000 light years in diameter.

M97 Apparent Dimensions:: 13.4 arc-minutes x 3,3 arc-minutes ... M108 Apparent Dimensions:: 8.7 arc-minutes x 2.2 arc-minutes

Discovered by: M108 was discovered by the French astronomer Pierre Méchain on February 19, 1781, only three days after he had found the Owl Nebula (M97). Charles Messier observed both M108 and M109 on March 24, 1781, when he determined the position for M97. However, Messier did not measure the positions of M108 and M109 at the time and only added them to his hand-written list of objects. the catalogue.

Description: M97 was named the Owl Nebula because of its appearance in larger telescopes, which reveal 2 dark patches that look like eyes of an owl.
M97 is close to another Messier object, the spiral galaxy M108. The two objects can appear in the same field of view. The nebula formed when a dying star ran out of hydrogen fuel, collapsed from a red giant to a white dwarf and rejected its outer envelope. The expelled material is heated by the radiation from the central white dwarf producing the nebula’s glow. The nebula has been expanding and will completely disperse over the next few thousand years.
The white dwarf will cool and fade away over the next several billion years.
See the M97 Page for more details

Click Below Image(s) for Full Size:

M108 is a barred spiral galaxy with somewhat loosely wound spiral arms. The galaxy does not have a pronounced core or bulge, but appears very mottled and dusty, with few H II regions and clusters of young stars.
Dust structures are prominent in the galaxy’s disk. The dust structures are prominent in the galaxy’s disk and very thick in front of its bulge.
M108 contains 400 billion stars and is moving away from us at 699 km/s. The supermassive black hole at M108’s core has an estimated mass of 24 million solar masses.
M108 is one of the brightest, largest member of the Ursa Major Cluster of Galaxies. Which is located in the Virgo Supercluster. M108 is an isolated member of the group. The galaxy is circumpolar north of latitude 35N and can be seen throughout the year.
See the M108 Page for more details
M108 is a popular object since details of its structure can be seen even in amateur telescopes.
A 3-in scope reveals an elongated streak of light with a brighter core. An 8-inch scope will hint at the galaxy’s dusty regions as well as bright and faint patches.

The best time to view M108 is during the spring.

Platesolve

NGC 3587 Planetary Nebula and NGC 3556 Spiral Galaxy

Imaging Details
Click to Return to Home Page