Astronomy Picture of the Day . ... 15.05.2009 . ... Also cataloged as M97 , the 97th object in Messier's well-known list, its round shape along with the placement of two large, dark "eyes" do suggest the face of a staring owl . One of the fainter objects in Messier's catalog , the Owl Nebula is a planetary nebula , the glowing gaseous envelope shed by a dying sun-like star as it runs out of nuclear fuel . ... Publications with keywords: planetary nebula - M 97 . ... The Cats Eye Nebula . ...