M97 – The Owl Nebula

The Owl Nebula is a faint planetary nebula which can be found in the constellation Ursa Major.

The round shape and the two dark patches resemble the face of an owl. Its distance is still uncertain, estimates range from 1.300 to 12.000 light years, although 2.600 light years is most commonly used.
The central star is of magnitude 16, the age of this nebula is about 6.000 years.

The very small patch of nebulousity below the small star at lower left of the nebula is actually a small background galaxy. (group of three stars, the middle one).