2016 August 30 ~ The California Nebula in Perseus

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Photographed at Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, between 03.00 and 03.24 EDT

(285 km by road north of Toronto)

* Temperature 12° C.

 

* Total exposure time: 11 minutes

* 540 mm focal length telescope

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Description:

 

This faint and visually very elusive nebula can be photographed to advantage only in a good dark sky.

 

Known as the "California Nebula" because of its shape, this glowing cloud of red hydrogen gas is quite large; about five times as long as, and a little wider than, the Moon appears in our sky. The nebula is located 1,000 - 2,000 light years from our solar system, and is about 100 light years from end to end. Radiation from the nearby blue-white star Xi Persei (the brightest star in the frame, below the nebula) causes the nebula to fluoresce.

 

The California Nebula was discovered by famed American astronomer E.E. Barnard in 1884-5, just in time to be added to Dreyer's New General Catalog (NGC).

 

For a version of this photo WITH STAR LABELS, click on your screen to the RIGHT of the photo, or click here:

www.flickr.com/photos/97587627@N06/28723113074

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Technical information:

 

Nikon D810a camera body on Teleview 101is apochromatic refracting telescope, mounted on Astrophysics 1100GTO equatorial mount with a Kirk Enterprises ball head

 

Eleven stacked frames; each frame:

540 mm focal length

ISO 4000; 1 minute exposure at f/5.4; unguided

(with LENR - long exposure noise reduction)

 

Subframes registered in RegiStar;

Stacked and processed in Photoshop CS6 (brightness, contrast, colour balance, levels)

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Done