| Maffei 2 | |
|---|---|
 Image by Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Cassiopeia |
| Right ascension | 02h 41m 55.1s[1] |
| Declination | +59° 36′ 15″[1] |
| Redshift | -17 ± 5 km/s[1] |
| Distance | 9.8 Mly[2] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 16.0[1] |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | SAB(rs)bc[1] |
| Apparent size (V) | 15.2′ × 7.0′[1] |
| Other designations | |
| 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.
