Splinter Galaxy

NGC 5906 is a nearly perfect edge-on spiral galaxy about 50 million light-years away in the constellation Draco. Viewed almost precisely along its equatorial plane, it presents a razor-thin profile bisected by a prominent dark dust lane that traces the full length of its disc. Its slim, elongated appearance — reminiscent of a wood splinter — gives rise to the popular nickname. The galaxy shows slight disc warping toward its outer edges, a telltale sign of past gravitational interactions with neighbouring galaxies.