IC 342 – 2026

IC 342 is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Camelopardalis, about 10.7 million light years away. It belongs to the IC 342/Maffei galaxy group and resembles the Milky Way in structure, with pronounced spiral arms and numerous star-forming regions. Due to its position near the galactic plane, however, its light is strongly attenuated by interstellar dust of the Milky Way, which is why it appears comparatively faint despite its size.

IMAGE DATA
ObjectIC 342
Distanceapprox. 10.7 million light years
Date25.02.2026 - 27.02.2026
ExposureRGB total 39x180 sec., 219x180sec. Luminance, HA 83x 300sec. - Total approx. 23.7h
MountSkywatcher EQ6-R Pro
TelescopeSkywatcher 200PDS
CameraZWO ASI 2600mm  with ZWO LRGB & Ha Filtern
GuidingZwo Asi OAG with ZWO Asi 290mm Mini & Asiair
SoftwareAsiAir, Astropixel Processor, Pixinsight, Photoshop CC, NoiseXterminator, Star X Terminator, BlurXterminator, Nik Collection 7