IC 342 – The Hidden Galaxy

Image Title: IC342

Copyright: Copyright: Omar Radwa

Date image was taken: October 21, 2025

Location: Fort Davis, TX

Data Acquisition Method: Remote Observatory (Commercial)

Description and Details: IC 342, often called the Hidden Galaxy, sits just 10 million light-years away in Camelopardalis—but it’s buried behind the thick dust of the Milky Way, making it a tough one to pull out. I shot this under dark Bortle skies in West Texas using my ROCS 16" Ruggedized Military version and the QHY600m.

The dataset includes 47 Ha subs at 600 seconds each, which really helped tease out the star-forming regions. RGB was captured at 75 frames per channel, 120 seconds apiece. Processing this one was a labor of love—lots of care went into balancing the faint spirals with the foreground clutter.

IC 342 isn’t flashy, but when you coax it out, it’s got a quiet elegance that makes the effort worthwhile

Name: Omar Radwan