Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Camelopardalis (Cam)  ·  Contains:  IC 342
IC342 - “The Hidden Galaxy” in Camelopardalis, Jan Sjoerd de Vries
IC342 - “The Hidden Galaxy” in Camelopardalis
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IC342 - “The Hidden Galaxy” in Camelopardalis

IC342 - “The Hidden Galaxy” in Camelopardalis, Jan Sjoerd de Vries
IC342 - “The Hidden Galaxy” in Camelopardalis
Powered byPixInsight

IC342 - “The Hidden Galaxy” in Camelopardalis

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Description

IC 342 (also known as Caldwell 5, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IC_342) is an intermediate spiral galaxy in the constellation Camelopardalis, located relatively close to the Milky Way. Despite its size and actual brightness, its location in dusty areas near the galactic equator makes it difficult to observe and heavily reddened, leading to the nickname "The Hidden Galaxy", though it can readily be detected even with binoculars. If the galaxy were not obscured, it would be visible by naked eye and look much bluer, similar to M33 or M101. The dust makes it difficult to determine its precise distance; modern estimates range from about 7 Mly to about 11 Mly. Its angular size makes it the third-largest spiral galaxy, smaller only than the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) and the Triangulum Galaxy (M33). However, it is not a member of our Local Group of galaxies.

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IC342 - “The Hidden Galaxy” in Camelopardalis, Jan Sjoerd de Vries