Both bright and oriented to our vision line, NGC 5907 is sometimes called Splinter Galaxy or knife edge galaxy.
Edge-on Galaxy NGC 5907 in Drako provides one of the best galaxies in the sky that is connected to the line of our vision in this way. Credit: KPNO/Noerlab/NSF/Aura/Adam Block
At this time there are probably 100 billion galaxies in the universe, although the universe may be infinite and the number may also be large. Out of the vast number of galaxies, several thousands are bright to see well with a small or medium -sized backyard telescope. And of course the bends of galaxies in space are at all places-a handful of galaxies are really bright in our sky and are almost oriented on the edge to the line of our vision.
One of these age-on Marvels is NGC 5907 in Drako. It is a sa (s) C galaxy, sometimes called splinter galaxy or knife age galaxy. It is located a short distance from M102 (NGC 5866), a small galaxy, by chance, almost exactly oriented on the edge.
The NGC 5907 is relatively large and bright, shining at the magnitude 11.1 and 12.7 ‘by 1.4. It is about 53.5 million light-year away.
This galaxy is a prototype “ward spiral”. In 2006, a team of astronomers announced a wide tidal stream of material around the galaxy, with evidence of a fabric in the disc.
The NGC 5907 has a low metal and a small number of giant stars. This galaxy is almost made up of dwarf stars, and its star formation is very dormant.
Galaxy has produced a supernova on records: SN 1940A, which was at the peak of 14.3.
