190 Ismene

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

C. H. F. Peters , 1878

Discovery date

22 September 1878

Pronunciation

/ ɪ s ˈ m iː n iː /

Named after

Ismene

Alternative designations

A878 SA; 1947 QJ;, 1951 DB

Minor planet category

Main belt ( Hilda )

Observation arc

121.44 yr (44357 d)

Aphelion

4.6480 AU (695.33 Gm )

Perihelion

3.3248 AU (497.38 Gm)

Semi major axis

3.9864 AU (596.36 Gm)

Orbital period sidereal

7.96 yr (2907.2 d )

Mean anomaly

134.92 °

Mean motion

Wikidata facts

Instance of

asteroid

Named after

Ismene

Followed by

191 Kolga

Follows

189 Phthia

Parent body

Sun

Diameter

+159.0

Orbital period

+2916.510274979688