Maffei-1: for friends of the obscure(d)

Observation Notes

Maffei-1 is the closest giant Elliptical (Hubble type: E3) to the Milky Way with a distance of about 4Mpc. In the case of a clear line of sight, Maffei-1 would be one of the brightest galaxies on the night sky with a diameter close to ¾ of the full Moon. However, sitting in the Zone of Avoidance, Maffei 1 suffers from almost 5 mag of extinction making it a hidden marvel.

Together with the disk galaxy Maffei-2 and the “hidden galaxy” IC342, Maffei-1 form the so called Maffei Group, one of the closed galaxy groups to the Milky Way with all its members sharing the same fate of being heavily obscured by the Milky Way and its dust.

Data were taken on 2025 December 30 and 2026 January 10, 11, and 16.

Technical Details

View the full-resolution image together with complete acquisition and processing details on AstroBin.