M97 (NGC 3587), The Owl Nebula
Sketch and Details by Ferenc Lovró
M97 (The Owl Planetary nebula)
M97 (NGC 3587), also known as the Owl-nebula, is a very spectacular, famous planetary, in the vicinity of M108. It’s a nearly regular circle, slightly elongated in E-W directions. Also on the Eastern and Western corner one can find two darker spots, the eyes of the owl. The planetary itself is quite an easy object, looks much brighter than the 11th magnitude as listed in catalogues, a homogenous shape with sharply fading edges. Discovering the eyes is a bit harder: especially the Western spot which tends to blink. Using your averted vision helps a lot to see the details. I was using my Baader UHC filter to finish this sketch, however according to my experiences a slightly better seeing helps much more than the filter.
This is an inverted pencil sketch.
Sky location: R. A.: 11h 15m: Dec.: 55° 1′: Constellation: Ursa Major
Date/time: 2008.04.24 20:30 UT
Equipment: 12″ f/5 Newtonian
FoV: 20′
Magnification and filter(s): 167x + UHC filter
Seeing: 3/10 Transparency: 3/5
Sketching Location: Nádasdladány, Hungary
Observer: Ferenc Lovró
Ferenc,
The 12″ and UHC filter work well with this object.
Nice sketch.
Marek
Ferenc,
Very good sketch and report on this fine planetary nebula.
Frank