Subj : Daily APOD Report
To   : All
From : Alan Ianson
Date : Sat Oct 22 2022 00:39:32

                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    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.

                               2022 October 22

                       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
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
                NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

--- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-6
 * Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)

.