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
- 31 December 1931
- Pronunciation
- / ˈ t r oʊ ɪ l ə s , ˈ t r ɔɪ l ə s /
- Named after
- Troilus (Greek mythology)
- Alternative designations
- 1931 YA · 1965 WK
- Minor planet category
- Jupiter trojan , Trojan · background
- Adjectives
- Troilian
- Observation arc
- 86.40 yr (31,557 d)
- Aphelion
- 5.7305 AU
- Perihelion
- 4.7712 AU
- Semi major axis
- 5.2509 AU
- Orbital period sidereal
Article
1208 Troilus /ˈtroʊɪləs/ is a large and notably inclined Jupiter trojan from the Trojan camp, approximately 103 kilometers (64 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 31 December 1931, by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg Observatory in southern Germany. The unusual F-type asteroid belongs to the largest Jupiter trojans and has a long rotation period of 56.2 hours. It was named after the Trojan prince Troilus, who was killed by Achilles.
Orbit and classification