California Nebula
Scientific overview
California Nebula is a nebula in the constellation Perseus. It shines at apparent magnitude 5 and spans about 160 arcminutes of sky.
Observation guide
Guidance follows standard observing practice, derived from the object's real magnitude and position. A dark, moonless sky always helps.
Location in the sky
Precision measurements
Distances and velocities from SIMBAD · NGC 1499
| Right ascension (ICRS) | 60.825 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
| Declination (ICRS) | 36.421667 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
Full field-level provenance
- Right ascension (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · ra · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Declination (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · dec · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
Physical size is derived from the OpenNGC angular size and the catalogued distance (small-angle: size = angle × distance). This is a Galactic object: its Doppler shift is shown as a radial velocity, not a cosmological redshift. Fields a source did not provide are omitted, never invented.
Other objects in Perseus
| Object | Type | Mag | Size (′) |
|---|---|---|---|
| h Persei ClusterNGC 869 | Open cluster | 3.7 | 14.4 |
| chi Persei ClusterNGC 884 | Open cluster | 3.8 | 10.5 |
| M 34M 34 · NGC 1039 | Open cluster | 5.2 | 22.5 |
| NGC 1545NGC 1545 | Open cluster | 6.2 | 4.2 |
| NGC 1528NGC 1528 | Open cluster | 6.4 | 9.6 |
| NGC 1444NGC 1444 | Open cluster | 6.6 | 3.6 |
| NGC 1342NGC 1342 | Open cluster | 6.7 | 6.3 |
| NGC 1582NGC 1582 | Open cluster | 7 | 7.8 |
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- OpenNGCOpenNGC (M. Verga) — NGC/IC, Messier, and Caldwell catalogue data
Openly-licensed deep-sky catalogue: object types, positions, magnitudes, sizes, morphology, and cross-identifiers.