One of the larger spiral galaxies close to Earth, Maffei 2 is located in the constellation Cassiopeia. This means that at many northern latitudes it never sets below the horizon and can be observed during much of the year by most large observatories on Earth. Even so, Maffei 2 was not discovered until 1968, although other similar galaxies have been in catalogues for over two centuries. The reason for Maffei 2ΓÇÖs late discovery is simply that it is very difficult to see, at least in visible light. This is not because Maffei 2 is dim (in fact, it has unusually high levels of star formation) but because stars and dust clouds from our own galaxy, the Milky Way, block our view. Maffei 2 would look very different if it were located elsewhere in the
