Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Perseus (Per)  ·  Contains:  46 Per)  ·  California Nebula  ·  NGC 1499  ·  The star Menkib (ξ Per
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California Nebula (NGC 1499) in SHO, Dylan Chapman
California Nebula (NGC 1499) in SHO
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California Nebula (NGC 1499) in SHO

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
California Nebula (NGC 1499) in SHO, Dylan Chapman
California Nebula (NGC 1499) in SHO
Powered byPixInsight

California Nebula (NGC 1499) in SHO

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Description

Gold Mountains Under a Blue Sky

NGC 1499, also known as the California Nebula, is one of the largest emission nebulae in our night sky. It spans approximately 2.5 degrees, or about five times the size of the full Moon. Its name comes from its similar shape (when zoomed out) and size (being only roughly 450 billion times larger) to California. At around 1,000 light years away and 60 light years across, the gases in this nebula are ionized by the blue supergiant star Menkib, shown near the top center of this image. This star is over 12,000 times brighter than the Sun and 30 times its mass; it is one of the hottest and most massive stars that can be seen with the naked eye.

This image shows sulfur mapped to red, hydrogen to orange, and oxygen to blue. Stars are a PixelMath combination of hydrogen and oxygen data ran through PhotometricColorCalibration.

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  • California Nebula (NGC 1499) in SHO, Dylan Chapman
    Original
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    California Nebula (NGC 1499) in SHO, Dylan Chapman
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California Nebula (NGC 1499) in SHO, Dylan Chapman