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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

14 September 1931

Pronunciation

/ ɪ m p ə ˈ r eɪ t r ɪ k s /

Named after

empress (in Latin)

Alternative designations

1931 RH · 1929 CX, 1950 DC 1 · 1957 OY, A913 EC · A915 TL, A924 GC

Minor planet category

main-belt · ( outer ) , Hygiea

Observation arc

101.75 yr (37,165 days)

Aphelion

3.3873 AU

Perihelion

2.7436 AU

Semi major axis

3.0654 AU

Orbital period sidereal

5.37 yr (1,960 days)

Mean anomaly

Wikidata facts

Instance of

asteroid

Named after

emperor

Followed by

Q136955

Follows

1199 Geldonia

Parent body

Sun

Minor-planet group

asteroid belt

Diameter

+42.006

Orbital period

+1953.177458616772