California Nebula

The California Nebula (Also known NGC 1499 or Sh2-220) is an emission nebula located in the constellation Perseus. Its name comes from its resemblance to the outline of the U.S. State of California in long exposure photographs.

California Nebula

Emission nebula
Observation data: J2000.0 epoch
Right ascension	04h 03m 18.00s
Declination	+36° 25′ 18.0″
Distance	1,000 ly
Apparent magnitude (V)	6.0
Apparent dimensions (V)	2.5° long
Constellation	Perseus
Physical characteristics
Radius	22 [1] ly
Designations	NGC 1499, Sharpless 220
See also: Lists of nebulae

By coincidence, the California Nebula transits in the zenith in central California as the latitude matches the declination of the object.

Infrared image showing xi Persei's interaction with the nebula including a (red) shock wave in the gas and dust (upper left)

Observation

NGC 1499 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 Hα filter (isolates the Hα line at 656 nm) or Hβ filter (isolates the Hβ line at 486 nm) in a rich-field telescope under dark skies.^[2] It lies at a distance of about 1,000 light years from Earth. Its fluorescence is due to excitation of the Hβ line in the nebula by the nearby prodigiously energetic O7 star, Xi Persei (also known as Menkib).^[3]

Discovery

The California Nebula was discovered by E. E. Barnard in 1884.