California Nebula
RA 4h 00m · Dec +36° 23′
5′

A very large but low-surface-brightness emission nebula illuminated by the hot O7 star Xi Persei. The shape maps the state of California. Requires an Hα filter for best results as it is faint in broadband; nearly 2.5° long and challenging to frame without a wide-field mosaic.

Emission nebula

California Nebula

NGC 1499 · Perseus
These photons are ~1,000 years old
LPBroadband light-pollution filter. Suppresses the sodium and mercury glow of streetlights while passing the main nebula emission lines and natural star colours.ZWO Seestar S50ZWO Seestar S50Aperture 50mm · Focal length 250mm · f/5 · Apo triplet with ED element · Sony IMX462 colour CMOS sensor (1920 x 1080, 2.1MP)…View equipment →
⧉ 5 versions of this capture — pick one to see its image and log
Date
22/09/2025
Location
36.3859° N, 28.0412° E
Integration
17m (52 × 20s)
Software
ZWO Seestar app
Notes
·
Total effort
1h 1m over 1 night
Moon
🌑New Moon, 0% lit
Plate solve
Centre RA
4h 00m 03.4s
Centre Dec
+36° 22′ 39″
Field
47.2′ × 83.5′
Pixel scale
2.38″/px
Orientation
119.4° E of N
Hemisphere
Northern
Also in this frame
IC 2005NGC 1499NGC1499

Catalogued objects inside the plate-solved field, nearest the centre first. Highlighted names have their own photo here.

TelescopeZWO Seestar S50
CameraZWO Seestar S50 Camera
RigFamily Holiday Rig

Where to find it

Finder chart
+35°50′+36°+36°10′+36°20′+36°30′+36°40′+36°50′+37°3h57m3h57m3h58m3h59m3h59m4h4h01m4h01m4h02m4h03m4h03mNGC 1499IC 2005NE47.2′ x 83.5′5′

Star field and catalogued objects inside the plate-solved field, oriented to the solve. Fully offline, from the bundled star and deep-sky catalogues.

Interactive sky chart centred on 4 00 03.4 +36 22 39. Drag to pan, scroll to zoom, click a star or object to identify it. Zoom in to the plate-solved field for the DSS survey photo; zoom out for constellation figures and neighbouring catalogue objects. Fully self-hosted: the star and deep-sky catalogues and the survey image are all served from this site, so nothing external loads. Imagery: DSS2 colour (STScI / POSS-II). Constellation figures © Dominic Ford (GPLv3).

Captured from · Ρόδος (Rhodes)
36.3859° N, 28.0412° E · view on OpenStreetMap ↗ · Place data © GeoNames (CC BY)

Frequently asked questions

What kind of object is NGC 1499?
NGC 1499 is an emission nebula.
Which constellation is NGC 1499 in?
NGC 1499 lies in the constellation Perseus.
How far away is NGC 1499?
The light in this image left NGC 1499 roughly ~1,000 years ago, so that is how far back in time you are seeing it.
What are the coordinates of NGC 1499?
NGC 1499 sits at right ascension 04h 00m 03s and declination +36° 22′ 39″ (J2000).
When is the best time to photograph NGC 1499?
NGC 1499 rides highest in the evening sky around November, reaching about 90° above the horizon from around 36°N.
What else is in this frame?
The plate-solved field also contains IC 2005.
What equipment was used to photograph NGC 1499?
This image of NGC 1499 was captured with ZWO Seestar S50 and ZWO Seestar S50 Camera.
How much exposure time went into this image?
This image of NGC 1499 represents 17m (52 × 20s) + 11m (34 x 20s) of total integration time.

Comments

Leave a comment

Your email is never shown. Comments are held for moderation before they appear.