NGC 1579 (also known as the Northern Trifid) is a diffuse nebula located in the constellation of Perseus. It is referred to as the Northern Trifid because it resembles the Trifid Nebula. The Trifid Nebula is located in the southern celestial hemisphere of our sky. It is a H II region, a region of star formation. It is smaller and further away than its namesake, lying 2,100 light years away in the constellation Perseus. It is about 3 light years across and contains both reddish and blue components. The blue is reflection nebula, where dust behind the stars reflects starlight. The red in this case is not from the usual emission of hydrogen.
The star cluster contains the emission-line star LkHα 101, which provides much of the ionizing radiation in the nebula. This massive young star emits light strongly in hydrogen alpha. Dust within the core of the nebula dims and reddens this light. Additional dust and soot is evident above and below the nebula in large areas that contain few stars.
NGC 1579 lies within a giant molecular cloud known as the California Molecular Cloud.
Image acquisition, focusing, guiding and mount control with APT, Astro-Photography Tool. Light calibration, integration, and image processing performed manually in PixInsight. Skywatcher Esprit 120ED at f/7 and ZWO 2600MC Pro with a Radian Ultra Quad-Band narrowband filter at 4nm. 164 5 minute exposures for a total of 13.6 hours of exposure.
