The IC 342 galaxy is sometimes referred to as the “Hidden Galaxy” or the “Ghost Galaxy.” These names allude to the fact that, due to its proximity to the plane of the Milky Way, IC 342 is often challenging to observe in visible light because of obscuration caused by the dust and interstellar gas of our own galaxy. This “hideout” in the galactic plane makes its observation more challenging, hence the acquisition of these nicknames.
IC 342 is located at a distance of approximately 10 million light-years from Earth, making it a relatively close galaxy within the Local Group, a collection of galaxies to which our Milky Way belongs.
Discovered by the British astronomer William Frederick Denning in 1895, IC 342 is listed in the Index Catalogue (IC), a catalog of celestial objects compiled by the Danish astronomer Johan Dreyer, which complements the famous Charles Messier catalog.