Right Ascension	11 : 14.8 (h:m)
Declination	+55 : 01 (deg:m)
Distance	2.6 (kly)
Visual Brightness	9.9 (mag)
Apparent Dimension	3.4x3.3 (arc min)
Discovered by	Pierre Mechain Feb. 16th, 1781

The Owl Nebula M97 is one of the fainter objects in Messier's catalog, discovered by Pierre Mechain on February 16, 1781. In the description of this object, Messier also mentions two other nebulous objects that he (and Mechain) have seen at about the same time, but which he had not added in his printed catalog version of 1781 (in the Connaissance des Temps for 1784); as the description is obvious and he added positions by hand in his personal copy, we now know that he had observed the objects M108 and M109. The name "Owl Nebula" goes back to Lord Rosse who first used it in 1848.

M97 is one of the more complex planetary nebulae. Its appearance has been interpreted as that of a cylindrical torus shell (or globe without poles), viewed oblique, so that the projected matter-poor ends of the cylinder correspond to the owl's eyes. This shell is enveloped by a fainter nebula of lower ionization. The mass of the nebula has been estimated to amount 0.15 solar masses, while the 16 mag central star is believed to be of about 0.7 solar masses. Its dynamical age is about 6,000 years. (from Stephen J. Hynes, Planetary Nebulae).

As often for planetary nebulae, the Owl is significantly brighter visually at about 10. And photographically (about 12.0 mag), as most light is emitted in one green spectral line .As with most planetary nebula the question of distance is hard to answer,perhaps 1400 to 12,000 LY.