#menkib

[quiltofstars]

The California Nebula, NGC 1499 // Timothy Martin

The bright blue star near the California Nebula is Menkib (ξ Persei), a solitary blue giant star about 1,200 light years away. Meanwhile, the brighter star at the top right is ζ Persei, a blue supergiant star about 1,300 light years away.

[blasteffect]

California Nebula SHO - NGC 1499

The California Nebula (NGC 1499) is an emission nebula located in the constellation Perseus. It is so named because it appears to resemble the outline of the US State of California on long exposure photographs.

It is almost 2.5° long on the sky and, because of its very low surface brightness, it is extremely difficult to observe visually. It can be observed with a Hβ filter (isolates the Hβ line at 486 nm) in a rich-field telescope under dark skies.

It lies at a distance of about 1,000 light years from Earth. Its fluorescence is due to excitation of the Hβ line in the nebula by the nearby prodigiously energetic O7 star, xi Persei (also known as Menkib, seen at center below it in the inset at right).

The California Nebula was discovered by E. E. Barnard in 1884.

Thomas Richter Photography

[jzholloway-sncastro]

California Nebula - NGV 1499 SHO Palette (Simulated) While gathering data on the Heart & Soul Nebula, I decided to begin getting some imaging done on the California Nebula. I was able to end up with 14 hours over four different nights this month with two short sessions and two longer ones. Using Astro Pixel Processor, I was able to split the color channels I captured using the L-eNhanced filter and then recombine them to simulate a SHO color palette . 140 x 360s Dark, flat, bias and dark flat frames 800 ISO - Bortle 8 Stacked in APP, processed in APP & PS . Radian Raptor 61 Canon EOS Ra Sky Watcher EQ6-R Pro ZWO 30mm f4 MiniScope (guide) ZWO asi224mc (guide) . . . #astronomy #astrophotography #OPTeam #myOPTgear #highpointscientific #agenaastro #earliestlight #astromaniacmag #california #californianebula #ngc1499 #perseus #menkib #Nebula #stars #cosmos #milkyway #photography #photooftheday #apod #nasa #ig_spaceimage #ig_astrophotography #rhodeisland #astrophoto #canonphotography #CanonFavPic #narrowband #spacephoto #nightsky (at Providence, Rhode Island) https://www.instagram.com/p/CU2TcPmL6Ks/?utm_medium=tumblr

[quiltofstars]

The constellation of Perseus, the Hero // o0O-PLaCiD-O0o

Click below to read more about some of the stars that make up Perseus as well as an annotated image!

In order of brightness:

Mirfak (α Persei) is the brightest star in the constellation and lies in the midst of a cluster of stars named after it, the α Persei Cluster. The star is a blue-white supergiant star about 510 light years away. The name comes from the Arabic phrase Mirfaq al-Thurayya meaning "elbow of al-Thurayya."

Algol (β Persei) is a triple star system about 94 light years away. It signifies the position of Medusa's head, with Algol representing her eye. This is an eclipsing binary system, meaning one star passes in front of another, blocking light, causing the brightness to dim every ~3 days. The name comes from the Arabic phrase raʾs al-ghūl meaning "head of the ogre."

ζ Persei is a blue supergiant star about 1,300 light years away.

Áldu (ε Persei) is a binary star system about 640 light years away. The primary is a blue giant star. The name was only adopted in 2025 and comes from the Sámi culture of Finland and is the word for a female reindeer.

γ Persei is a binary star system about 220 light years away. The primary is a yellow giant star.

Sarvvis (δ Persei) is potentially a binary star system about 520 light years away. The primary is a blue giant star. Its name also comes from the Sámi culture of Finland and is the word for a male reindeer or moose.

ρ Persei is a solitary star about 308 light years away. It is a red supergiant and is sometimes called Gorgonea Tertia, Latin for the third Gorgon, although the IAU has yet to formally name this star.

Miram (η Persei) is a binary star system with the primary being a red supergiant star. It lies about 1,000 light years away. The origin of the name is unknown, although it only gained this name in the 20th century.

Misam (κ Persei) is a triple star system about 113 light years from Earth. The primary is a yellow giant star. The name comes from the Arabic word miʽṣam meaning "wrist."

Atik (o Persei) is a triple star system about 1,100 light years away, consisting of a blue giant as the primary. The name comes from the Arabic word atik meaning "shoulder."

τ Persei is a binary star system about 254 light years away. It consists of a yellow giant star and a blue-white giant star.

c Persei is a blue giant star about 480 light years from Earth.

Menkib (ξ Persei) is a solitary star about 1,200 light years away. It is a blue giant star and is one of the hottest stars that can be seen with the naked eye, clocking in at around 35,000 degrees! It also ionizes the nearby California Nebula (NGC 1499). The name comes from the Arabic phrase Mankib al Thurayya meaning "shoulder of al-Thurayya."

ι Persei is a solitary, yellow-white star about 35 light years away.

θ Persei is a binary star system about 37 light years away. The primary star is a yellow-white star with a red dwarf companion.

μ Persei is a binary star system about 900 light years away. The primary is a yellow supergiant star with a companion blue giant.

λ Persei is a solitary blue-white giant star about 420 light years away.

b Persei is a triple star system about 310 light years away. The primary is a blue-white giant star.

Among the stars of Perseus lie several "deep space objects" including: The Double Cluster (NGC 869, NGC 884), the California Nebula (NGC 1499), the α Persei Cluster, and the Spiral Cluster (M34).

[quiltofstars]

The California Nebula, NGC 1499 // Alex Weinstein

The bright star to the right is Menkib (ξ Persei), whose name comes from the Arabic phrase mankib al Thurayya meaning "shoulder of the Pleiades".

[quiltofstars]

The California Nebula (NGC 1499) and the star Menkib (ξ Persei) // David Quiles