it is very distant, beyond the more distant stars listed in the USNO-A2.0 catalog.

Optical information: galaxies
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If the dust observed in the FIR does not affect stars in our galaxy, it may be located far from the MW and could affect only objects seen behind it. Testing the assumption of a dust cloud distant from the MW requires a sample of background objects with relatively high surface density, as well as brightness and color information. In the Virgo region, the “standard” extragalactic catalog has been for a number of years the Binggeli (1985) Virgo Cluster Catalog (VCC). The VCC covers $\sim$140 square degrees and contains 2096 galaxies. The surface density of galaxies is, therefore, $\sim$15 galaxies/square degree, on average. While this may appear sufficient, the photometry is not adequate because the galaxy magnitudes in the VCC are eye estimates and may have significant deviations. In addition, no colors are available for most VCC galaxies. We decided therefore to rely on a more recent galaxy compilation, which reaches deeper in brightness and is thus denser than the VCC, has better photometry, and contains color information for the objects.

Currie & Young (1998, hereafter VPC) produced an extensive three-color photometric 