NQ Cassiopeiae (NQ Cas) is the small red star located in the middle of the image. This star is listed in the SIMBAD database as being spectral type C-J4.5. Although NQ Cas has the characteristic red hue of a carbon star, the red coloration is not as deep or intense as it appears in many other carbon stars. Most likely this is due to the chemical makeup of the star since C-J4.5 is a somewhat unusual spectral type.

The magnitude of NQ Cassiopeiae is 9.29 and its distance to earth is 1355.1972 parsecs (4420.062 light years).

This star was included in the 1912 publication "Spectra and colors of red stars" by Parkhurst J. A.