Caldwell 5 — Galaxy in Camelopardalis
IC 342
About C5
Description
IC 342 is a face-on spiral galaxy in Camelopardalis, about 10.7 million light-years away. It would be one of the brightest galaxies in the sky if not heavily obscured by dust in our Milky Way's disk. It is the principal member of the IC 342/Maffei group.
Observing Tips
A challenging target due to heavy Milky Way foreground extinction. Requires dark skies and at least a 6-inch telescope. Appears as a large, very faint, diffuse glow. Use low power and averted vision. Best on autumn and winter evenings.
History
Discovered by W.F. Denning in 1892. Its proximity was not recognized until later because foreground extinction dims it by several magnitudes. Sometimes called the "Hidden Galaxy."
Fun Facts
If IC 342 were not behind the Milky Way's dust, it would be visible to the naked eye and rival M31 in apparent brightness. It has an active nucleus and vigorous star formation in its spiral arms.
Observe
1Properties
Position & Identifiers
2How easy to spot?
| Telescope | Bortle 3 | Bortle 4 | Bortle 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80 mm refractor 80mm refr. | V. hard+ | V. hard | Imp. |
| 150 mm Newton 150mm Newt. | Hard+ | Hard | Hard |
| Celestron C8 (203 mm SCT) C8 203mm | Hard+ | Hard+ | Hard |
Bortle 3 = rural · 4 = outer suburbs · 5 = suburbs
3Visibility
Set a location in User Settings to see visibility data.
4
Eyepiece View
5
Best Magnification
Explore
6
Surface Brightness
7
Morphology Decoder
8
Inclination & True Shape
9
Redshift
10
Size Comparator
Discover
11
Light Travel Time Machine
12
Relativistic Travel
Community Photos (1)
Credit: ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA image processing by J.-C. Cuillandre (CEA Paris-Saclay) G. Anselmi. License: CC BY-SA 3.0 igo. (Wikimedia Commons)
Skybred Mar 2, 2026
Nearby in the Sky
Other targets within a few degrees — pan your scope a little and keep exploring.
Visibility scores assume a 150 mm Newton at Bortle 4.
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