The NASA showcased the cosmic beauty of the ‘California Nebula’ in the ‘Astronomy Picture of the Day‘ for this Tuesday (19).
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Officially cataloged as NGC 1499, this nebula has the characteristic shape of the U.S. state of California, hence its nickname.
The California Nebula is located about a thousand light-years away from Earth, in the Orion Arm of the Milky Way constellation, and spans approximately 100 light-years.
In the image, you can see the characteristic red hue of hydrogen atoms recombining with lost electrons, a phenomenon caused by the intense light from energetic stars. The protagonist of this stellar energy is the bright and hot Xi Persei, visible to the right of the nebula.
