Mirach

The details are still giving astronomers plenty to work on.

Then there's Mirach, Beta Andromedae.

It's a red giant about 200 light years away, and right beside it in our sky is a faint smudge called Mirach's Ghost, NGC 404.

But the ghost isn't anywhere near Mirach.

It's an entire galaxy roughly 10 million light years away.

The two only appear close together because they happen to line up from Earth.

Mirach is in the foreground.

NGC 404 is about 50,000 times farther away.