1107 Lictoria

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

L. Volta

Discovery site

Pino Torinese Obs.

Discovery date

30 March 1929

Named after

Fasces Lictores , (Symbol of fascism )

Alternative designations

1929 FB · A909 UB, A917 DF · A924 KC

Minor planet category

main-belt · ( outer ) , Hygiea

Observation arc

108.28 yr (39,549 days)

Aphelion

3.5809 AU

Perihelion

2.7885 AU

Semi major axis

3.1847 AU

Orbital period sidereal

5.68 yr (2,076 days)

Mean anomaly

312.44 °

Mean motion

Wikidata facts

Instance of

asteroid

Named after

fasces

Followed by

Q136011

Follows

Q117086

Parent body

Sun

Minor-planet group

asteroid belt

Diameter

+79.079

Orbital period

+2078.769032370947

Image

001107-asteroid shape model (1107) Lictoria.png