M97 and M108

M97 and M108 are close enough to appear in the same image. Are located at the base of the Bowl of the Big Dipper in Ursa Major. just to the Left of Merak which is the bottom of the pointer stars to Polaris (the North Star.)

Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!

M97 – the Owl Nebula on the Left 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. It was formed from the outflow of material from the stellar wind of the central star as it evolved along the asymptotic giant branch.

M108 – A Barred Spiral Galaxy On the Right and closer to Merak is a barred spiral galaxy about 28 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.

Keywords: M97 and M108, Planetary Nebula, Galaxy, Ursa Major, Messier