1075 Helina

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

G. Neujmin

Discovery site

Simeiz Obs.

Discovery date

29 September 1926

Named after

Helij Neujmin , (discoverer's son)

Alternative designations

1926 SC · 1930 KV, 1965 CB · A906 YG, A916 WH

Minor planet category

main-belt · ( outer ) , Eos

Observation arc

110.85 yr (40,489 days)

Aphelion

3.3528 AU

Perihelion

2.6705 AU

Semi major axis

3.0116 AU

Orbital period sidereal

5.23 yr (1,909 days)

Mean anomaly

156.59 °

Mean motion

Wikidata facts

Instance of

asteroid

Followed by

Q132934

Follows

1074 Beljawskya

Parent body

Sun

Minor-planet group

asteroid belt

Diameter

+26.198

Orbital period

+1911.528973130767

Image

001075-asteroid shape model (1075) Helina.png