Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Camelopardalis (Cam)  ·  Contains:  IC 342
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IC 342/Caldwell 5, rflinn68
IC 342/Caldwell 5
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IC 342/Caldwell 5

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IC 342/Caldwell 5, rflinn68
IC 342/Caldwell 5
Powered byPixInsight

IC 342/Caldwell 5

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Description

IC 342 is an intermediate spiral galaxy in the constellation Camelopardalis. It is located near the galactic equator. Dust obscuration makes it a difficult object for amateurs to observe, thus the name “Hidden Galaxy.” Once thought to be a member of our local group of galaxies, measurements have shown it is quite distant at between seven to eleven million light-years. The dust of our Milky Way galaxy makes it more difficult to determine a precise distance. If not for being obscured by our galactic cloud, it would be one of the brightest galaxies in the sky.

The listed mag. 9.1 brightness is a misnomer because the only part of the galaxy easily seen visually is the central core. The spiral arms are quite difficult to spot, even in larger apertures.

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Revisions

  • IC 342/Caldwell 5, rflinn68
    Original
  • Final
    IC 342/Caldwell 5, rflinn68
    B

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IC 342/Caldwell 5, rflinn68