California Nebula
 |
| Emission nebula | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Observation data: J2000.0 epoch | |
| Right ascension | 04h 03m 18.00s |
| Declination | +36° 25′ 18.0" |
| Distance | 1,000 ly ly |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 6.0 |
| Apparent dimensions (V) | 2.5° long |
| Constellation | Perseus |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Radius | - ly |
| Absolute magnitude (V) | - |
| Notable features | - |
| Designations | NGC 1499 |
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 long exposure photographs. It is almost 2.5° long on the sky and, because of its very low surface brightness, it is extremely difficult to observe visually. It can be observed with a H-Beta filter (isolates the H-Beta line at 486 nm) in a rich-field telescope under dark skies. It lies at a distance of about 1,000 light years from Earth.
A Deeper Version of The California Nebula --Courtesy Hunter Wilson
The California Nebula was discovered by E. E. Barnard in 1884.