Tuesday, October 20, 2009

October 11, 2009

NGC 1499 - The California Nebula

This large emission nebula, which appears in the constellation Perseus, derives its name from a vaguely similar appearance to the state of California. The nebula, though large, is extremely faint and is located about 1,000 light years away.



The California Nebula is so large that even the relative large field of view afford by the Starshoot Pro and my f/5, 6" Newtonian cannot capture it in its entirety. A mosaic would be required to reveal the nebula in its full glory. But with clear nights at a premium this wet, cloudy year, I think this image will have to suffice.

The above image comprises 12, 300-second sub-exposures for a total exposure time of one hour. The relative bright star at the lower right corner of the image is Epsilon Persei.

No comments: