Nebula NGC 1499 in Perseus

Nebula NGC 1499 in Perseus

Our Sun has its home within the Milky Way's Orion Arm, only about 1,000 light-years from nebula NGC 1499. This classic emission nebula is around 100 light-years long. An emission nebula is a nebula formed of ionized gases that emit light of various wavelengths. The most common source of ionization is high-energy ultraviolet photons emitted from a nearby hot star.

The most prominent glow of this 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. A regular target for astrophotographers, this nebula can be spotted with a wide-field telescope under a dark sky toward the constellation of Perseus, not far from the Pleiades.

This is a two-panel mosaic of NGC 1499, also known as the California Nebula, in narrowband.

Image Credit & Copyright: "Aroughroad"
Release Date: Feb. 27, 2023

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