Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Draco (Dra)  ·  Contains:  NGC 5907
NGC5907 - The Splinter Galaxy, Jason Guenzel
NGC5907 - The Splinter Galaxy
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NGC5907 - The Splinter Galaxy

NGC5907 - The Splinter Galaxy, Jason Guenzel
NGC5907 - The Splinter Galaxy
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NGC5907 - The Splinter Galaxy

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Description

NGC5907 is a beautiful edge-on spiral galaxy that is 30-50 million light years distant in the constellation Draco . It is sometimes called the Knife-Edge Galaxy or the Splinter Galaxy. While this galaxy was first presumed to be in relative isolation, just over ten years ago it was revealed to have some incredibly large tidal loops surrounding it. I made a legitimate effort to reveal these from my moderately light polluted skies. Alas, it was not meant to be. I could pick out only a portion of the very faint structure. If you have not seen this before, it's worth an internet search. The tidal loops, which extend almost 100,000 light years from the galaxy, could be the remnant of a dwarf galaxy that was completely ripped apart or perhaps is hidden behind NGC5907.

I still find it amazing what amateur equipment is capable of.

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