The nearby spiral galaxy Maffei 2, shown from a near-infrared (I-band)
CCD image. This galaxy lies almost exactly behind the midplane of the
Milky Way in Cassiopeia, and is correspondingly dimmed by as much as 100
times in visible light. This wavelength starts to show hints of spiral
structure and perhaps a bar, features borne out by recent images farther
into the infrared. The image was taken with the Lowell Observatory 1.1-meter
telescope.
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