The California Nebula
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Stretching across nearly 100 light-years, this glowing river of hydrogen is known as the California Nebula. Located about 1,000–1,500 light-years away in the constellation Perseus, it’s far too faint to see with the naked eye — but long-exposure astrophotography reveals its true form.
The nebula shines almost entirely in H-alpha light, energized by intense radiation from the nearby hot star Xi Persei. What looks like a soft, golden cloud is actually a turbulent region of ionized gas, dust, and ongoing star formation.
Five times wider than the full Moon and yet nearly invisible visually, NGC 1499 is a perfect reminder of how much of the universe hides just beyond human perception.
Scope: Askar 103APO
Lens: Askar 0.6x Reducer
Camera: ZWO ASI 294MC Pro
Filter: Antlia Tri-Band RGB Ultra
Mount: SkyWatcher AZ-EQ5-GT
Guiding: SkyWatcher Evoguide 50ED with ZWO ASI 224MC
Controller: ZWO ASIAir Pro
Focusser: ZWO EAF
Integration time: 10hrs 25min
Full version and print available at:
https://adfr.io/astro/20251218_ngc1499/
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