Drifting through the Orion Arm of the Milky Way is the California Nebula (NGC 1499), a cloud of hydrogen and sulfur glowing red, orange, and yellow, with a wispy blue veil of oxygen. More than 100 light-years long, this "California shaped" mass is not far from the Pleiades star cluster in the constellation Perseus. In this rendition I see the Sierra Nevada mountains represented by the nebular ridges along the northeastern edge of the object, while the blue Pacific Ocean is represented by the veil of glowing oxygen fanning out from southwestern edge.

The combination of a William Optics GT71, 0.8X focal reducer, and the ASI1600MM results in a 3.82 degree X 2.55 degree field of view, wide enough to frame nearly all of the swirling perimeter structures of this beautiful nebula. I was fortunate to have clear, good quality skies for three successive nights, allowing me to collect more than 25 hours of excellent data (at f/4.7). This rendition is presented in a standard HST palette, a good choice to reveal the nebular folds and details of the main body of the object, and revealing the wispy veil of oxygen.