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 site
- Paris
- Discovery date
- 12 July 1876
- Pronunciation
- / ˈ iː v ə /
- Named after
- Unknown
- Alternative designations
- A876 NA
- Minor planet category
- Main belt
- Observation arc
- 118.93 yr (43438 d)
- Aphelion
- 3.5444 AU (530.23 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 1.7188 AU (257.13 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 2.6338 AU (394.01 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 4.27 yr (1561.2 d )
- Mean anomaly
- 219.5472 °
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Followed by
- 165 Loreley
- Follows
- 163 Erigone
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +100.254
- Orbital period
- +1560.264007572774
Show 4 more facts
Article
164 Eva is a main-belt asteroid that was discovered by the French brothers Paul Henry and Prosper Henry on July 12, 1876, in Paris. The reason the name Eva was chosen remains unknown, though Karl Ludwig Littrow suspected a "worldly origin" ("Mit dem Namen könnten wir wie bei Miriam wieder den biblischen Boden zu betreten glauben, wenn wir bei diesem Entdecker nicht an Taufen weltlichen Ursprungs gewöhnt wären"). The orbital elements for 164 Eva were published in 1877 by American astronomer Winslow Upton.
This asteroid is categorized as a C-type asteroid and is probably composed of primitive carbonaceous chondritic materials. Dust activity due to sublimation has been detected on this asteroid, suggesting the presence of water ice in its interior.