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
- 17 October 1930
- Pronunciation
- / ɪ ˈ n iː ə s /
- Named after
- Aeneas (Αἰνείας Aineias ) , (Greek mythology)
- Alternative designations
- 1930 UA
- Minor planet category
- Jupiter trojan , Trojan · background
- Adjectives
- Äneian
- Observation arc
- 87.27 yr (31,874 d)
- Aphelion
- 5.7602 AU
- Perihelion
- 4.6762 AU
- Semi major axis
- 5.2182 AU
- Orbital period sidereal
- 11.92 yr (4,354 d)
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Named after
- Aeneas
- Followed by
- 1173 Anchises
- Follows
- 1171 Rusthawelia
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +118.02
- Orbital period
- +4379.806003842572
- Image
- 1172 Aneas 28.07.2014.gif
Show 4 more facts
Article
1172 Äneas /ɪˈniːəs/ is a large Jupiter trojan from the Trojan camp, approximately 140 kilometers (90 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 17 October 1930, by astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg Observatory in southwest Germany. The dark D-type asteroid is one of the largest Jupiter trojans and has a rotation period of 8.7 hours. It is named after the Trojan prince Aeneas, from Greek mythology.
Orbit and classification