NGC 1499, The California Nebula Image Credit & Source: Caltech, Palomar Observatory, Digitized Sky Survey and the APOD Website. "The bright star to the right of the nebula in this image is Zeta Persei. It is both a member of the Perseus OB2 group and it is probably responsible [for] making the California nebula glow." - Adam Block/NOAO/AURA/NSF. This nebula was discovered by E.E. Barnard in about 1884-5 and subsequently added to Dreyer's NGC — a New General Catalogue of galaxies, nebulae and star clusters by Johann Dreyer and published in 1888. The catalog is noteworthy for it's "shorthand" descriptions of Dreyer's visual observations, which set down quite a lot of information in the fewest possible letters. For more information see: NGC description codes by Bill Arnett.