Designation: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 State of California. 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 lies at a distance of about 1,000 light years from Earth. Its fluorescence is due to excitation of the Hß line in the nebula by the nearby prodigiously energetic O7 star, xi Persei (also known as Menkib. The California Nebula was discovered by E. E. Barnard in 1884.