Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2023 December 19
     [2]A red gaseous nebula is shown in front of a dark starfield. The
    shape of the nebula resembles the US state of California. Please see
               the explanation for more detailed information.

                       NGC 1499: The California Nebula
                 Image Credit & Copyright: [3]Steven Powell

   Explanation: Could [4]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 [5]California, USA. Our [6]Sun has
   its home within the Milky Way's [7]Orion Arm, only about 1,000
   light-years from the [8]California Nebula. Also known as [9]NGC 1499,
   the classic emission nebula is around 100 [10]light-years long. On the
   [11]featured image, the most prominent glow of the California Nebula is
   the red light characteristic of [12]hydrogen atoms recombining with
   [13]long lost electrons, stripped away ([14]ionized) by energetic
   starlight. The star most likely providing the [15]energetic starlight
   that [16]ionizes much of the nebular gas is the bright, hot, bluish
   [17]Xi Persei just to the right of the nebula. A regular target for
   astrophotographers, the California Nebula [18]can be spotted with a
   wide-field telescope under a dark sky toward the constellation of
   [19]Perseus, not far from the [20]Pleiades.

              Explore Your Universe: [21]Random APOD Generator
                       Tomorrow's picture: ice fog sky
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    Authors & editors: [33]Robert Nemiroff ([34]MTU) & [35]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([36]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [37]Specific rights apply.
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                A service of: [39]ASD at [40]NASA / [41]GSFC,
                         [42]NASA Science Activation
                           & [43]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2312/CalNeb_Powell_3923.jpg
   3. https://www.instagram.com/nexgen_astro/
   4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calafia
   5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California
   6. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140506.html
   7. http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/5000lys.html
   8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Nebula
   9. https://spider.seds.org/spider/Misc/n1499.html
  10. https://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/questions/question19.html
  11. https://www.instagram.com/p/C0xJ8JdpPrb/
  12. https://periodic.lanl.gov/1.shtml
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/lament.html
  14. https://energyeducation.ca/wiki/images/3/3d/IONIZATION.png
  15. https://science.nasa.gov/ems/10_ultravioletwaves
  16. https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/ion-balloons/en/
  17. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xi_Persei
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090411.html
  19. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perseus_(constellation)
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220405.html
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/random_apod.html
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap231218.html
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  26. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  28. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  31. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=231219
  32. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap231220.html
  33. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  34. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  35. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  36. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  37. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  38. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  39. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  40. https://www.nasa.gov/
  41. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  42. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  43. http://www.mtu.edu/