NGC 1499, also known as Sharpless-2 220, is a quite large emission nebula in Perseus, almost the same apparent size as the Andromeda galaxy at 2.5° in length. It is about 1,000 light years from Earth. Its size is estimated to be 60 light years, wide enough to fit 2,000 solar systems! The bright blue star near the bottom of the frame, ξ Persei, ionizes the nebula, causing it to glow. This star is around 30 Solar masses and has spectral type O, which means that it is extremely hot. ξ Persei has a temperature of 63,000°F. In the background you can see many striations in the dark dust surrounding the nebula. These are caused by magnetic fields within the nebula.
This image was taken with my small telescope, which has a field of view of 3.08° by 2.1°. The image is composed of a total of 39 hours of 180 second exposures.
