M97 · Owl Nebula

M97, known as the Owl Nebula, is a planetary nebula located in the constellation Ursa Major Despite its name, it has nothing to do with planets: it is the expanding shell of gas ejected by a dying star near the end of its life. At its center remains a hot stellar core, slowly evolving into a white dwarf. Capturing M97 is like observing a quiet stellar afterlife: a fragile bubble of ionized gas, suspended in space, revealing the final stages of a Sun-like star.