California Nebula (NGC 1499)

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About this Image

The California Nebula (NGC 1499) 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 CCD images. It is almost 2.5 degree long on the sky and, because of its low surface brightness, it is very difficult to observe visually. It lies at a distance of about 1,000 light years from Earth. Its fluorescence is due to excitation of the H-alpha and H-beta line in the nebula by the nearby prodigiously energetic O7 star, Xi Persei.
 


Technical Details
Optics

16" Cassegrain in primary focus at f/3, FL 1200mm

Mount DDM-85-XL direct drive GEM mount
Camera Nikon D810A with remote timer
Date Dec 2014
Location Wildon / Austria
Sky Conditions mag 19 sky, temperature 5 C
Exposure 76x1 min at ISO1600 combined, unguided
Programs used ImagesPlus
CCDStack
Photoshop CS5