IC 342 is a face-on spiral galaxy located some 10 million light years away in the direction of the constellation of Camelopardalis.

Because of the location of IC 342 in relation to our own Milky Way galaxy, interstellar gas and dust from our galaxy dims our view. Without this dimming the galaxy would be one of the brightest in the sky.

This image is a composite of images taken with the Palomar Observatory's 48-inch Samuel Oschin Telescope as a part of the Second Palomar Observatory Sky Survey.

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