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
- A. Borrelly
- Discovery date
- 1 December 1875
- Pronunciation
- / d ɛ dʒ ə ˈ n aɪər ə /
- Alternative designations
- A875 XA; 1904 VB;, 1978 TS 1
- Minor planet category
- Main belt
- Observation arc
Article
157 Dejanira is a main belt asteroid that was discovered by Alphonse Borrelly on 1 December 1875, and named after the warlike princess Deianira in Greek mythology (Δηιάνειρα in Greek). The Dejanira family of asteroids is named after it.
Photometric observations of this asteroid were made in early 2009 at the Organ Mesa Observatory in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The resulting light curve shows a synodic rotation period of 15.825 ± 0.001 hours.