California Nebula
NGC 1499 has quite a resemblance to the outline of the state of California, is found within Orion's Arm. What is amazing to hear is, so are we. This nebula is only 1500 light years away. That is simply nothing compared to the distances of many other objects. The nebula has a reddish tint to it due to Hydrogen colliding and bonding with "long lost" electrons. The entire thing is only about 100 light years long. Not a bad picture for such a small object. The culprit of the nebula being emission is expected to be the bright XI Persei emitting its electrons making this a beautiful object. This can actually be seen quite easily with a wide view telescope, therefore I know what I will be asking to see at the next star gaze.
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