How to photograph the Owl Nebula & M108 (M97)
A round planetary nebula with two dark eyes, next to the edge-on galaxy M108.
When to shoot it from your location
About the Owl Nebula & M108
The Owl Nebula and the galaxy M108 sit less than a degree apart below the bowl of the Big Dipper. At 500-800mm they fit in one frame.
Gear and framing
The Owl Nebula & M108 spans about 3.4′ of sky. It frames best with:
- Small refractor (250-600mm)
- Long focal length (800mm and up)
You can see how other people have built their rigs on RigDesigner, including my Sony a6700 and 60mm refractor rig.
Filters
This target glows in emission lines and also has broadband detail. Unfiltered color frames under dark skies give the most natural colors. A dual-band filter lets you shoot it from the city or with the Moon up.
Tips
- Shoot it without a filter to keep M108, then add narrowband data for the Owl if you have it.
Processing
Stack your light frames with darks and flats, then remove the background gradient before stretching. AstroBake does all of this for you. Point it at your folders of raw frames, then adjust the result with live sliders.