Picture of the Day · NASA
NGC 3660 and Burçin's Galaxy
2026-05-26
The upper galaxy might be more photogenic, but the lower galaxy is more unusual. The galaxy up top is NGC 3660, a spiral galaxy similar to our own Milky Way galaxy in that it has several bright blue spiral arms and a central bar of stars, dust, and gas. Captured by chance in the featured deep and colorful image, surprisingly, is SN 2026cff, a supernova found just to the right of the central bar. Farther in the distance is the bottom galaxy, known informally as Burçin’s galaxy, but formally cataloged as LEDA 1000714. The center of this galaxy appears to be an old elliptical galaxy, but it is strangely surrounded by not one but two rings of stars. What created Burçin's galaxy is a mystery and remains a continuing topic of research, but it likely involves the accretion of one or more smaller galaxies.
via NASA APOD
Key facts
- Discovered by
- J. C. Watson
- Discovery date
- 11 July 1868
- Pronunciation
- / ˈ h ɛ k ə t iː /
- Named after
- Hecate
- Alternative designations
- 1955 QA
- Minor planet category
- Main belt
- Adjectives
- Hekatean (Hecatæan) / h ɛ k ə ˈ t iː ə n /
- Observation arc
- 154.56 yr (56452 d)
- Aphelion
- 3.60957 AU (539.984 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 2.57132 AU (384.664 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 3.09045 AU (462.325 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 5.433 yr (1984.4 d )
- Mean anomaly
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100 Hekate is a large main-belt asteroid.
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