NGC 1499 (The California Nebula)

Constellation: Perseus

Distance: 1000 Light Years

The emission nebula NGC 1499 gets its nickname from its resemblence to the outline of the state of California. Its sole source of ionizing energy is the bright star to its lower right, Xi Persei. The nebula stretches out over a patch of sky larger than the diameter of 4 full moons. Because its brightness is stretched out over so much space, the nebula is difficult to detect visually even in large telescopes.