California Nebula (NGC 1499)
An emission nebula in Perseus, its shape resembles the outline of California. It has a very low surface brightness and is challenging to observe visually, often requiring a telescope with a wide field and filters, or astrophotography.
Nebula in Perseus. Magnitude 6.0.
Can you see it from Guyana?
From Georgetown (6.8° N) it climbs to 60° above the northern horizon at its highest; from Lethem (3.4° N), to 57° above the northern horizon. It is highest at midnight on the night of 18 Nov, in the middle of its season. The page works out tonight's rise, highest point and set for both towns in Guyana time (UTC-4), and where the Moon is.
What you'll see
- Your eyes: Not visible to the eye.
- 10x50 binoculars: Hard: only from a dark site with an H-beta filter.
- A small telescope (80 to 100 mm): Very hard visually: low power and an H-beta filter.
- A camera: Spans about 40% of an APS-C frame at 200 mm (field 6.7° × 4.5°); needs a tracking mount. An H-alpha-sensitive (modified) camera brings out its red glow.
How big, how bright, how far
- Size on the sky: 145′, 4.7 Moons across (the Moon is about 31′ wide).
- Brightness: magnitude 6.0. Fainter than Georgetown's faintest stars (4.3) but brighter than Lethem's (6.0).
- Distance: 1,000 light-years. The light reaching your eye left it about 1,000 years ago, around the year 1030.
What it is made of
- Type
- Emission Nebula
- Distance
- Approx. 1,000 Lightyears
- True size
- Approx. 100 Lightyears long
- Ionized Hydrogen (HII): Forms the characteristic shape, emits red light
- Dust: Mixed with the gas, some obscuration
More deep-sky objects: Rosette Nebula (Caldwell 49) · Orion Nebula (M42) · North America Nebula (NGC 7000) · Tarantula Nebula (NGC 2070) · Eta Carinae Nebula (NGC 3372) · Omega Nebula (M17)