It is located just below the bottom of the Big Dipper's bowl, nestled next to the southernmost of the two stars that form the Dipper's lip.
Amateur astronomers know the Owl Nebula well.
Viewed with a telescope, the nebula appears smoothly round with two large dark vacancies that give the nebula a striking resemblance to an owl's face. An observer comparing it with the full moon would find the Owl Nebula to be about one-tenth of the full moon's width, but much fainter than the moon. The objects were named by ea rly observers who thought their round, luminescent shapes resembled telescopic views of known planets in our solar system. Astronomers estimate there may be 50 times as many remaining to be discovered in our Milky Way galaxy. According to Teske, a star reaches the end of its life when no more thermonuclear fuel remains in its deepest interior.