Tony Hallas took this phenomenal image of the California Nebula (NGC 1499) in Perseus with his SVX180T. This emission nebula rests roughly 1,000 light-years away from Earth and spans about 60 light-years across. Its glow results from a nearby blue giant star, Xi Peresei, which is over 12,000 times brighter than the sun. The nebula's name comes from its resemblance to the outline of the US State of California. Its transit falls over the zenith of central California, as the latitude matches the declination of this object.

Filter: Chroma 3nm H-a OIII