173 Ino

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 site

Marseille

Discovery date

1 August 1877

Pronunciation

/ ˈ aɪ n oʊ / EYE -noh

Named after

Ἰνώ Īnṓ (Greek mythology)

Alternative designations

A877 PA; 1922 SB

Minor planet category

main-belt · ( middle ) , Ino

Adjectives

Inoan ( / aɪ ˈ n oʊ ə n / eye- NOH -ən )

Observation arc

138.75 yr (50,678 d)

Aphelion

3.3142 AU

Perihelion

2.1708 AU

Semi major axis

2.7425 AU

Orbital period sidereal

Wikidata facts

Instance of

asteroid

Named after

Ino

Followed by

174 Phaedra

Follows

172 Baucis

Parent body

Sun

Minor-planet group

asteroid belt

Diameter

+125.821

Orbital period

+1658.129518751428