The California Nebula is one of those targets that rewards a wide field. Its long hydrogen arc sits near Perseus like a glowing coastline, with darker dust and denser star fields giving the shape its scale.
This image uses a narrowband Ha/OIII palette to pull structure out of the emission while keeping the target quiet and spacious. The result is less about a single bright core and more about the sweep of gas across the frame.
- What am I looking at?
- The California Nebula is a long, red emission cloud shaped like the U.S. state of California.
- How far away is it?
- About 1,000 light-years away.
- Where is it in the sky?
- In Perseus, not far from the bright star Menkib.
- Why does it matter?
- One of the most recognizable emission nebula shapes and a rewarding narrowband target.
- When is the best time to photograph it?
- Autumn and winter when Perseus is high in the evening sky.
Capture summary
Nebula in Perseus
December 4, 20 & 26, 2022; January 15, 16, 20 & 28, 2023; February 3, 2023 / Moon 43%
Ha, OIII
Winter target / wide composition
- H-alpha 5h 25m 65 x 300s / 4 days / Moon 61%
- SII 10h 120 x 300s / 4 days in Jan 2023 / Moon 33%
- OIII 6h 72 x 300s / 20 Dec 2022 / Moon 12%
- Totals 21h 25m December 4, 20 & 26, 2022; January 15, 16, 20 & 28, 2023; February 3, 2023 / Moon 43%
When to image this target
Nebula in Perseus; best planned for December through February from New Jersey.
Winter targets reward clear, steady nights and usually climb well by late evening.
Assumes a New Jersey backyard horizon and evening imaging.
Emission nebulae are good candidates for narrowband filters; reflection nebulae prefer darker skies.
NGC 1499 is listed here in Perseus.
Current frame: Narrowband / Ha, OIII.
Live altitude, moon, and filter guidance
Calculating target altitude and moon context.
Use the full planner to enter a ZIP code, choose a date, and compare the target from your sky.
Based on the current time.
Green marks usable dark-sky altitude.
Next upper transit.
Approximate horizon crossing.
Moon phase and altitude.
Acquisition & processing notes
Filter channels, integration times, and capture dates for this frame. View on AstroBin.
- H-alpha 65 x 300s, 5h 25m, 4 days, Moon 61%
- SII 120 x 300s, 10h, 4 days in Jan 2023, Moon 33%
- OIII 72 x 300s, 6h, 20 Dec 2022, Moon 12%
- Totals 21h 25m, December 4, 20 & 26, 2022; January 15, 16, 20 & 28, 2023; February 3, 2023, Moon 43%
How I captured this
| Channel | Frames | Time | Moon |
|---|---|---|---|
| H-alpha | 65 x 300s | 5h 25m | 61% |
| SII | 120 x 300s | 10h | 33% |
| OIII | 72 x 300s | 6h | 12% |
| Totals | — | 21h 25m | 43% |
- Equipment used
- From my current rig
- Mount
- iOptron CEM60
- Telescope
- Explore Scientific FCD100 127mm Carbon Fiber Triplet APO
- Camera
- ZWO ASI2600MM Pro
- Filters
- Chroma 36mm Ha, OIII, SII, and LRGB (ZWO EFW 7×36mm)
- Focuser / rotator
- MoonLite NiteCrawler
- Reducer
- Starizona Apex ED 0.65×
- Guiding
- ZWO off-axis guider + ASI290MM Mini
- Control / power
- PrimaLuceLab Eagle 4S, Powerwerx PSU, Bioenno field battery, and MEGAbox
