California Nebula

H-alpha test of NGC 1499, otherwise known as the "California Nebula" for its resemblance to the shape of the State of California.

This emission nebula is located in the constellation Perseus. Discovered by Edward Barnard in 1884, the California nebula is a large and relatively close nebula in the Orion Arm of our Galaxy. The nebula glows because of the radiation from the intensely hot, class O star, Xi Persei which is the brightest star in this picture on the right side.

Fitting image for this week as more than 23 million people in southern California have been placed under the harshest lockdowns in the US, as Covid-19 cases hit record levels in the country’s most populous state.