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
- K. Reinmuth
- Discovery site
- Heidelberg Obs.
- Discovery date
- 26 January 1928
- Named after
- Astronomische Nachrichten , ( Astronomy journal )
- Alternative designations
- 1928 BD · 1928 FU, 1941 UZ · 1982 DR 6
- Minor planet category
- main-belt · ( inner )
- Observation arc
- 89.44 yr (32,668 days)
- Aphelion
- 2.8697 AU
- Perihelion
- 2.0586 AU
- Semi major axis
- 2.4641 AU
- Orbital period sidereal
- 3.87 yr (1,413 days)
- Mean anomaly
- 351.13 °
- Mean motion
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Named after
- Astronomische Nachrichten
- Followed by
- Q136581
- Follows
- 1154 Astronomia
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +9.284
- Orbital period
- +1411.854150752737
Show 4 more facts
- P65
Article
1155 Aënna, provisional designation 1928 BD, is an asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 11 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 26 January 1928, by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at Heidelberg Observatory in southwest Germany. It is named for the astronomy journal Astronomische Nachrichten.
Orbit and classification