California Nebula (NGC 1499)
History
The galactic emission nebula NGC 1499 was discovered on 3rd November 1885 by American astronomer Edward Emerson Barnard. It received the nickname because it is similar in shape to the US state of California. [196]
Physical Properties
With a surface area of around 2.5 ° x 1 °, the nebula is very large, but has a low surface brightness. It glows mainly in the red lines Hα (656 nm) and Hβ (486 nm). The nearby, high-energy O7 star ξ Persei (Menkib), located at a distance of about 420 pc to 486 pc (1370 to 1585 light years), is held responsible for this. [145, 196]
| Designation | NGC 1499 |
| Type | EN |
| Right Ascension (J2000.0) | 04h 01m 10.0s |
| Declination (J2000.0) | +36° 27' 36" |
| Diameter | 120 × 60 arcmin |
| Photographic (blue) magnitude | 5.0 mag |
| Position Angle | 120° |
| Metric Distance | 0.400 kpc |
| Dreyer Description | vF, vL, E ns, dif |
| Identification, Remarks | LBN 756, California nebula |
Finder Chart
NGC 1499 is located in the constellation Perseus about 1° to the northeast from the 4 mag bright star ξ Persei (Menkib). It can best be observed in the months of September to February.
Visual Observation
400 mm Aperture: With the 31 mm Tele Vue Nagler eyepiece (58x) and hβ filter, NGC 1499 is clearly defined as a large nebula, so that individual structures can also be recognised. However, the nebula extends far beyond the field of view of 1.4° of the eyepiece. In order to recognise it, the telescope must be moved along the edge of the nebula. For an even lower magnification, a shorter focal length is recommended. — 400 mm f/4.5 Taurus Dobsonian, Gurnigel, 19. 8. 2023, Bernd Nies