Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

NGC 1499: The California Nebula

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 19, 2023 is “NGC 1499: The California Nebula,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: Steven Powell). The original explanation runs about 168 words.

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.
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Steven Powell Copyrighted Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Could 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 California , USA.”

— APOD editors, December 19, 2023

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
December 19, 2023
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Steven Powell
Copyright
Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 168 words

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Topics in this entry

Nebulae

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: December 19 in other years

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.