In the dark sky and not far from the Pleiades, you can look for the beautiful California Nebula in the constellation Perseus. This nebula was named because of its close resemblance to the state of California. The nebula bears the catalog name NGC 1499, and was discovered by Barnard in 1884. The California Nebula is about 100 light-years long, and 1500 light-years away from the solar system. The photos of this nebula are due to its beautiful shape and seductive color - much appreciated in astrophotography. There are characteristics that make many astronomers enthusiastically seek out the California Nebula. Although the apparent magnitude of this nebula is 6, this deep sky object is extremely weak due to its low surface brightness and difficult to observe visually. The picture in the middle shows the glittering blue star Menkib. Also known as Xi Persei, this star has 12000 times the luminosity of our Sun. We can thank the Menkib star for such a beautiful red. In this region, long-lost electrons are recombined with hydrogen atoms to create the characteristic red light of this nebula. The California Nebula can be seen in the dark with the Hβ filter, and is often found in photographs - along with the Pleiades open star cluster. Learn Astronomy and Astrophotography. Join our astro group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/311743376443671/
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