141 Lumen

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

P. P. Henry

Discovery date

13 January 1875

Pronunciation

/ ˈ l uː m ə n / , / ˈ l uː m ɛ n /

Named after

Lumen: Récits de l'infini

Minor planet category

main-belt · ( middle ) , Eunomian interloper

Observation arc

138.63 yr (50635 d)

Aphelion

3.23723 AU (484.283 Gm )

Perihelion

2.09253 AU (313.038 Gm)

Semi major axis

2.66488 AU (398.660 Gm)

Orbital period sidereal

4.35 yr (1589.0 d )

Mean anomaly

292.477 °

Mean motion

0° 13 35.623 / day

Inclination

Wikidata facts

Instance of

asteroid

Followed by

142 Polana

Follows

140 Siwa

Parent body

Sun

Minor-planet group

asteroid belt

Diameter

+117.916

Orbital period

+1590.32084925633