2019 Aug. 31 ~ NGC 1499 (the California Nebula) in the constellation Perseus

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Photographed at Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, between 02.57 and 03.16 EDT

(285 km by road north of Toronto)

* Altitude of the nebula at time of exposures: 46-50°

* Temperature 10° C.

 

* Total exposure time: 16 minutes

* 660 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).

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Technical information:

 

Nikon D810a camera body on Tele Vue 127is (127 mm - 5" - diameter) apochromatic astrograph, mounted on iOptron CEM40 equatorial mount

 

Sixteen stacked frames; each frame:

660 mm focal length

ISO 5000; 1 minute exposure at f/5.2; unguided

 

Subframes registered in RegiStar;

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

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Done