Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Perseus (Per)  ·  Contains:  42 n Per  ·  46 ksi Per  ·  49 Per  ·  50 Per  ·  California Nebula  ·  IC 2003  ·  IC 2005  ·  IC 2027  ·  Menkib  ·  NGC 1465  ·  NGC 1499  ·  PK161-14.1  ·  Perseus  ·  Sh2-220  ·  The star 42Per  ·  The star 50Per  ·  The star ξPer  ·  VdB24
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The California Nebula, Prabhakaran
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The California Nebula

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The California Nebula, Prabhakaran
Powered byPixInsight

The California Nebula

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Description

It is also known as NGC 1499 which is an emission nebula located in the constellation Perseus. It is so named because it appears to resemble the outline of the US State of California on long exposure photographs. It is almost 2.5° long in the sky and, because of its very low surface brightness, it is extremely difficult to observe visually. It lies at a distance of about 1,000 light-years from Earth and around 100 light-years long. The most prominent glow of the California Nebula is the red light characteristic of hydrogen atoms recombining with long lost electrons, stripped away (ionized) by energetic starlight. The star most likely providing the energetic starlight that ionizes much of the nebular gas is the bright, hot, bluish Xi Persei just to the right of the nebula.

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The California Nebula, Prabhakaran