Posted on Jan 8, 2026
APOD: 2026 January 8 - IC 342: Hidden Galaxy in Camelopardalis
287
34
9
12
12
0
Good evening, Rallypoint, and welcome to the January 8, 2026 edition of Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD). IC 342, or Caldwell 5, is an intermediate spiral galaxy seen face-on, located in the constellation Camelopardalis (the Giraffe) about 11.4 million light-years from the Milky Way. This galaxy would be much brighter in Earth's sky if it was not hidden from view by clouds of gas and dust. For this reason, IC 342 is sometimes nicknamed the "Hidden Galaxy."
According to measurements taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, IC 342 is home to a supermassive black hole equivalent to a mass between 1.4 and 5.4 million Suns located at its center.
According to measurements taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, IC 342 is home to a supermassive black hole equivalent to a mass between 1.4 and 5.4 million Suns located at its center.
APOD: 2026 January 8 - IC 342: Hidden Galaxy in Camelopardalis
Posted from apod.nasa.gov
Space
Science
Photography
Astronomy
Posted 12 d ago
Responses: 5
4
4
0
I CAN And DO Watch These Videos Of NASA's Adventures In Outer Space, NOW I Must Ask Of You Others, "How Can Anyone Come To The Belief 'WE Are The Only Intelligent Beings In Our Universe', Or For That Matter, Any Of The Others"? -
(4)
(0)
CPL Douglas Chrysler
You are correct, and they call themselves Troglodytes to help keep their incognito status in place.
(1)
(0)
4
4
0
It's always amazed me how often the spiral pattern shows up in space photos.
(4)
(0)
4
4
0
Gotta love those spiral galaxies. Somewhere in that night sky, someone (or some thing) is looking up at one of its spiral arms and saying: "Look! The Milky Way."
(4)
(0)
Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen
It's cold in space, which is how I came up with the idea of a frozen Milky Way over 60 years ago.
(2)
(0)
PO3 Phyllis Maynard
Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen 60 years ago, are you a scientist or was this an amateur observation?
(1)
(0)
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google