In the quiet reaches of the constellation Ursa Major, just beyond the curve of the Big Dipper’s bowl, a ghostly sphere floats in space — its twin dark voids giving the haunting impression of a face staring back at us.
This is the Owl Nebula, or Messier 97, a planetary nebula located approximately 2,000 light-years away, and one of the most striking examples of a dying star's final breath.

Unlike sprawling star-forming regions, the Owl Nebula is compact and spherical — the cast-off outer layers of a once Sun-like star, now illuminated by the brilliant core left behind.
Over thousands of years, that core will cool and fade into a white dwarf, while the glowing gas slowly drifts into the interstellar medium.

• Its round, symmetrical shape resembles a soft, glowing orb suspended in space.

• Two dark voids within the nebula’s face, caused by uneven densities of gas, create the illusion of wide, watching eyes — earning the nebula its name.

• Subtle hues of green and blue glow from ionized oxygen, while faint reds emerge from hydrogen emissions in longer exposures.

✨ A Glimpse of Stellar Mortality

Planetary nebulae like the Owl represent the final, graceful stages of stellar evolution — not violent explosions, but peaceful releases of energy and matter.
They are fleeting structures in cosmic terms, lasting only tens of thousands of years — a brief blink in the lifetime of a galaxy.

To capture the Owl Nebula is to witness the quiet ending of a star’s story, and the beauty that remains in its wake.

At Deep Sky Creations, the Owl Nebula reminds us that even in death, stars leave behind light — not just in the sky, but in everything we are.