NGC 1499: 加州星云

2022年10月22日

NGC 1499: The California Nebula
Image Credit & Copyright: Stephen Kennedy

Explanation: Drifting through the Orion Arm of the spiral Milky Way Galaxy, this cosmic cloud by chance echoes the outline of California on the west coast of the United States. Our own Sun also lies within the Milky Way’s Orion Arm, only about 1,500 light-years from the California Nebula. Also known as NGC 1499, the classic emission nebula is around 100 light-years long. The California Nebula shines with the telltale reddish glow characteristic of hydrogen atoms recombining with long lost electrons. The electrons have been stripped away, ionized by energetic starlight. Most likely providing the energetic starlight that ionizes much of the nebular gas is the bright, hot star Xi Persei just to the right of the nebula. A popular target for astrophotographers, this deep image reveals the glowing nebula, obscuring dust, and stars across a 3 degree wide field of view. The California nebula lies toward the constellation Perseus, not far from the Pleiades.

Tomorrow’s picture: strange planet

NGC 1499：加州星云
影像提供与版权: Stephen Kennedy

说明: 在银河系猎户臂内飘流的这团宇宙云，形状恰好酷似美国西岸的加州，故有加州星云的雅号。我们的太阳也位在银河系的猎户臂之内，与加州星云相距约1,500光年。这团亦名为NGC 1499的经典发射星云，长度约有100光年。加州星云特征性的泛红辉光，是受到高能星光电离的氢原子，在和失去的电子复合时所发出的。 而发出这些高能星光，并造成大量云气电离的恒星，极可能是紧贴在星云右缘外头、名为卷舌三（Xi Persei）的明亮炽热泛蓝恒星。加州星云是天文摄影者巡天的热门标的，而这幅3度宽视野的深空影像，更清楚的呈现了此天区的明亮星云、不透光尘埃、及点点繁星。这团星云位在英仙座方向，离昴宿星团不远之处。

明日的图片: strange planet