The California Nebula, so named because the shape resembles that state,
covers a span in the constellation Perseus more than 4x the diameter of
the moon, but it is very difficult to see. This cloud of hydrogen, more
than 100 light years in length, glows from the radiation of a nearby star,
probably Xi Persei, the bright star just below the nebula in this image.
The California Nebula shares the same spiral arm of the galaxy with us,
and is about 1000 light years away.

Image data:
Telescope: Takahashi FSQ-106N refractor
Camera: SBIG STXL-11002
Filters: Red, Green, Blue (for the stars); Hydrogen-alpha
Total exposure: 3 hours