Seek out this “hidden galaxy” in the constellation Camelopardalis.
The big, nearby spiral galaxy IC 342 offers a lot of detail for large telescope viewers but its low surface brightness can make it challenging to view under less than dark skies. Credit: Tony Hallas
Let’s visit another galaxy in the mostly stark constellation Camelopardalis — which, although it is unexciting to naked-eye viewers, is an area of sky that contains some interesting, if somewhat isolated, deep-sky objects.
IC 342 is a big barred spiral galaxy of morphological type SAB(rs)cd. It glows brightly at magnitude 9.1 but has a low surface brightness. This makes it challenging for small telescopes or as a target under less-than -really-dark skies. The galaxy measures a whopping 21.4’ by 20.9’ and is oriented face-on, showing lots of detail in advanced backyard images made by experienced astrophotographers.
This is a galaxy that is quite close to us in space, a mere 10.7 million light-years away.
IC 342 is nicknamed by some observers “the hidden galaxy” because its low surface brightness delayed its discovery until 1892, when William F. Denning identified it. Although the Milky Way is not particularly bright in Camelopardalis, this galaxy is obscured by substantial amounts of dust in our galaxy.
IC 342 is one of the brightest members of the so-called IC 342/Maffei Galaxy Group, which altogether contains 18 members. The diameter of IC 342 is approximately 75,000 light-years, making it a bit smaller than the disk of the Milky Way, and it has a membership of about 100 billion stars.
