The starry image filled with a red glow features a red, yellow, and blue colored nebula. The nebula has, roughly, the shape of the US state of California. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
这幅布满星光的图像呈现出红色光辉，并展示了一个由红色、黄色和蓝色组成的星云。该星云的形状大致类似于美国加利福尼亚州。有关更多详细信息，请参阅说明。
The featured image shows a wide field with the red California Nebula on the left, the blue Pleiades Star Cluster on the right, and much brown
interstellar dust in between. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
特色图片显示了一片广阔的视野，左侧是红色的加州星云，右侧是蓝色的昴宿星团，中间有许多棕色的星际尘埃。有关更多详细信息，请参阅说明。
2023年12月19日 NGC 1499: The California Nebula Image Credit & Copyright: Steven Powell Explanation: Could Queen Calafia‘s mythical island exist in space? Perhaps not, but by chance the outline of this molecular space cloud echoes the outline of the state of California, USA. Our Sun has its home within the Milky Way’s Orion Arm, only about 1,000 light-years from the California Nebula. Also known as NGC 1499, the classic emission nebula is around 100 light-years long. On the featured image, the most prominent glow of the California Nebula is the red light characteristic of hydrogen atoms recombining with long lost electrons, stripped away (ionized) by energetic starlight. The star most likely providing the energetic starlight that ionizes much of the nebular gas is the bright, hot,…
2022年4月5日 Seven Sisters versus California Image Credit & Copyright: Neven Krcmarek Explanation: On the upper right, dressed in blue, is the Pleiades. Also known as the Seven Sisters and M45, the Pleiades is one of the brightest and most easily visible open clusters on the sky. The Pleiades contains over 3,000 stars, is about 400 light years away, and only 13 light years across. Surrounding the stars is a spectacular blue reflection nebula made of fine dust. A common legend is that one of the brighter stars faded since the cluster was named. On the lower left, shining in red, is the California Nebula. Named for its shape, the California Nebula is much dimmer and hence harder to see than the Pleiades. Also known as…
2021年03月10日 NGC 1499: The California Nebula Image Credit & Copyright: Yannick Akar Explanation: Could Queen Calafia’s mythical island exist in space? Perhaps not, but by chance the outline of this molecular space cloud echoes the outline of the state of California, USA. Our Sun has its home within the Milky Way’s Orion Arm, only about 1,000 light-years from the California Nebula. Also known as NGC 1499, the classic emission nebula is around 100 light-years long. On the featured image, the most prominent glow of the California Nebula is the red light characteristic of hydrogen atoms recombining with long lost electrons, stripped away (ionized) by energetic starlight. The star most likely providing the energetic starlight that ionizes much of the nebular gas is the bright, hot,…
2020年7月20日 Comet NEOWISE and Nebulae Image Credit & Copyright: Jarek Oszywa Explanation: Would you brave wild animals to photograph this sky? One astrophotographer did — and we all get to reap the rewards. First, thousands of stars were visible with many of the brightest impressively blue. Next, several red-glowing nebulae were discernible, including the California Nebula on the far right, and, above it, the Heart and Soul nebulae. But the real reason to brave the local wildlife was Comet NEOWISE, visible on the left. In the featured long-duration composite taken last week, Comet NEOWISE’s blue-glowing ion tail points straight up, away from the rising Sun, while the Sun-reflecting dust tail trails off toward the right. The picture combines three exposures taken consecutively over 10 minutes…
