Owl Nebula
M97, NGC 3587 · Planetary nebula in Ursa Major
- Magnitude
- 9.9
- Size
- 3.4′ × 3.3′
- Effective surface brightness
- 21.4 mag/arcsec²
- Best months
- Feb, Mar, Apr
- Declination
- +55°
- Filter
- Dual-band recommended
A round planetary with two dark eyes. Large for its class and low in surface brightness; dual-band helps a lot.
Reachable from mid-northern latitudes (UK, northern US, central Europe) and from the south.
How long with each smart telescope
| Telescope | In frame | Bortle 3 (rural) | Bortle 5 (suburban) | Bortle 7 (urban edge) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZWO Seestar S5010 s subs, dual-band | 8% | 29 min173 subs | 32 min195 subs | 48 min291 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S50 Pro10 s subs, dual-band | 4% | 32 min194 subs | 36 min218 subs | 54 min322 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S3010 s subs, dual-band | 51 px | 34 min203 subs | 37 min225 subs | 54 min322 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S30 Pro10 s subs, dual-band | 55 px | 35 min209 subs | 39 min234 subs | 57 min344 subs |
| DwarfLab DWARF 315 s subs, dual-band | 3% | 35 min141 subs | 41 min164 subs | 1 h 06 min263 subs |
| DwarfLab DWARF mini15 s subs, dual-band | 51 px | 28 min113 subs | 32 min128 subs | 48 min193 subs |
| DwarfLab Draco30 s subs, dual-band | 5% | 23 min46 subs | 26 min52 subs | 39 min79 subs |
| DwarfLab DWARF II15 s subs | 3% | 1 h 37 min387 subs | 2 h 10 min521 subs | 4 h 36 min1,105 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera II10 s subs | 4% | 23 min141 subs | 35 min213 subs | 1 h 28 min529 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera Pro10 s subs | 3% | 56 min336 subs | 1 h 21 min488 subs | 3 h 12 min1,151 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera 310 s subs | 4% | 22 min134 subs | 34 min203 subs | 1 h 24 min506 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera Pro 210 s subs | 3% | 53 min318 subs | 1 h 17 min464 subs | 3 h 03 min1,101 subs |
| Unistellar eQuinox 24 s subs | 10% | 29 min429 subs | 36 min541 subs | 1 h 09 min1,033 subs |
| Unistellar Odyssey4 s subs | 10% | 2 h 28 min2,219 subs | 2 h 55 min2,628 subs | 4 h 54 min4,416 subs |
| Celestron Origin10 s subs | 7% | 6 min35 subs | 9 min55 subs | 24 min145 subs |
| Celestron Origin Mark II10 s subs | 8% | 7 min45 subs | 12 min74 subs | 34 min203 subs |
Imaging the planetary nebula
Planetary nebulae are small but intensely bright per pixel in OIII and H-alpha, so they respond very well to a dual-band filter and do not need much time for the main shell. The faint outer halos most of them have are a different proposition and need hours. Keep subs short if the central region saturates.
Per-telescope pages
- How long to image the Owl Nebula with the ZWO Seestar S50
- How long to image the Owl Nebula with the ZWO Seestar S50 Pro
- How long to image the Owl Nebula with the ZWO Seestar S30
- How long to image the Owl Nebula with the ZWO Seestar S30 Pro
- How long to image the Owl Nebula with the DwarfLab DWARF 3
- How long to image the Owl Nebula with the DwarfLab DWARF mini
- How long to image the Owl Nebula with the DwarfLab Draco
- How long to image the Owl Nebula with the DwarfLab DWARF II
- How long to image the Owl Nebula with the Vaonis Vespera II
- How long to image the Owl Nebula with the Vaonis Vespera Pro
- How long to image the Owl Nebula with the Vaonis Vespera 3
- How long to image the Owl Nebula with the Vaonis Vespera Pro 2
- How long to image the Owl Nebula with the Unistellar eQuinox 2
- How long to image the Owl Nebula with the Unistellar Odyssey
- How long to image the Owl Nebula with the Celestron Origin
- How long to image the Owl Nebula with the Celestron Origin Mark II