At a Glance
Object: NGC 5907
Type: Edge-on Spiral Galaxy
Constellation: Draco
Distance: 50 million light-years
Catalog: NGC
Best Season: Summer
NGC 5907 is a striking edge-on spiral galaxy located in the constellation Draco. It is often nicknamed the Splinter Galaxy because of its long, thin appearance, which makes it look almost like a glowing shard of light floating in space.
Unlike galaxies such as M51 or M33, where we see the spiral arms more face-on, NGC 5907 is viewed almost exactly from the side. This gives it a very different look. Instead of a broad spiral shape, we see a narrow galactic disk with a bright central region and a dark dust lane cutting along part of its length. That thin profile is what makes this galaxy so interesting visually.
NGC 5907 lies roughly 50 million light-years away from Earth. Even at that enormous distance, its shape stands out well in long-exposure images. The galaxy is thought to be similar in structure to our own Milky Way, though we see it from a completely different angle. If another civilization far outside our galaxy looked back at the Milky Way edge-on, it might appear somewhat similar.
NGC 5907 was discovered by William Herschel in 1788. Herschel cataloged many faint deep-sky objects during his surveys of the night sky, and this galaxy is one of the many distant island universes that later became part of the New General Catalogue.
One especially interesting feature of NGC 5907 is the faint stellar stream surrounding it. These extremely dim arcs of stars are believed to be the remains of a smaller galaxy that was disrupted and pulled apart by NGC 5907’s gravity. While these streams are very difficult to capture, they show that galaxies are not always quiet, isolated systems. They grow and change over time through gravitational interactions.
For backyard astrophotography, NGC 5907 is a rewarding spring and early summer target. Its thin shape, bright core, and dark dust lane make it a beautiful example of an edge-on spiral galaxy hiding in the stars of Draco.
Capture Details
| Telescope | Celestron Nexstar 8se |
| Reducer/Flattener | None |
| Filter | Optolong L-Pro |
| Camera | ZWO ASI294 MC |
| Mount | Skywatcher EQM-35 Pro |
| Total Captured | 111 |
| Total Time | 3 hours 42 minutes |
| Capture Software | N.I.N.A. |
Guiding | PHD2, ZWO asi120mm mini, |
| Processed in | PixInsight |
Backyard Capture Notes
This target is a nice size for my scope without the reducer and bright enough to not require a crazy number of images although more would most definitely bring out more detail.