| Epoch | J2000 |
|---|---|
| Size | 16.57 Kiloparsecs (54,000 Light-Years) (diameter; 25.0 mag/arcsec2 B-band isophote)[1] |
| Ra | [1] |
| Dec | [1] |
| Dist ly | 9.8 Mly[2] |
| Z | -17 ± 5 km/s[1] |
| Appmag v | 16.0[1] |
| Size v | 15.2′ × 7.0′[1] |
| Constellation name | Cassiopeia |
| Names | UGCA 39,[1] PGC 10217,[1] Sharpless 197 |
Maffei 2 is an intermediate spiral galaxy about 10 million light-years away[2] in the constellation Cassiopeia. Maffei 2 and Maffei 1 were both discovered by Paolo Maffei in 1968 from their infrared emission. Maffei 2 lies in the Zone of Avoidance and is about 99.5% obscured by the Milky Way's foreground dust clouds,[3] and as a result is barely detectable at optical wavelengths. It had been suggested soon after its discovery that Maffei 2 may be a member of the Local Group, but it is now thought to be a member of another nearby group, the IC 342/Maffei Group, the galaxy group that is the closest to the Local Group.
See also
References
- ^ "NED results for object Maffei 2". NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database. Retrieved 2026-01-16.
- ^ Karachentsev, I. D. (2005). "The Local Group and Other Neighboring Galaxy Groups". Astronomical Journal. 129 (1): 178–188. arXiv:astro-ph/0410065. Bibcode:2005AJ....129..178K. doi:10.1086/426368. S2CID 119385141
- ^ "The Hidden Galaxy". NASA. Retrieved 2011-05-03.
External links
- "Maffei 2". Spider. SEDS.
- "Maffei 2". UA Astronomy. University of Alabama.
- "Galaxies Beyond the Heart: Maffei 1 and 2". 9 March 2010.
- "UGCA 39". Retrieved 25 March 2018.