If you have done any wide-field astrophoto shots that captured both the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) and the Triangulum Galaxy (M33), you probably also captured an image of Mirach’s Ghost (NGC 404). Look close at the bright star Mirach and you may see this lenticular galaxy nearby.
This close-up view is using a 12” Meade LX90 telescope, the blue ring is caused from light diffraction from the bright red giant star Mirach. You can see Mirach’s Ghost at about the 10-oclock position right on the blue diffraction ring.
NGC 404 is about 10 million light-years away and has an apparent magnitude of 11.2. Having the star Mirach between Earth and NGC 404 can make imaging a bit difficult.
This image is composed of 32 x 15 second images at ISO 3200 with additional dark and bias frames. Tech Info: Meade LX90 12” telescope, Antares Focal Reducer, and Canon 6D camera. Imaging was done on September 27, 2016.