This faint, faraway galaxy lies close to a nearby bright star, creating a spooky double image to enjoy this Friday the 13th.

| Published: November 13, 2026

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November 12: An open cluster in Perseus

Celebrate Friday the 13th with something spooky: a ghost in the constellation Andromeda. This evening, point your telescope toward 2nd-magnitude Mirach (Beta [β] Andromedae), already nearly 60° high in the east by 7 P.M. local time. One of the Princess’ brightest stars, Mirach is a cool, reddish M-type giant. It lies some 200 light-years away and shines nearly 2,000 times as brightly as our Sun.

But Mirach is not quite our target — we’re looking for its so-called ghost, just 6.8’ northwest of the star. You’ll need a big scope to see it, but look carefully: Can you spot a faint smudge of light, about 4’ across, close to the star?…