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
- Johann Palisa
- Discovery date
- 19 July 1882
- Pronunciation
- / v ɛ ˈ r ɪ ŋ ɡ i ə /
- Named after
- Währing
- Alternative designations
- A882 OA, 1912 CC
- Minor planet category
- Main belt
- Observation arc
- 133.57 yr (48786 d)
- Aphelion
- 3.26370 AU (488.243 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 2.16153 AU (323.360 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 2.71261 AU (405.801 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 4.47 yr (1631.9 d )
- Average orbital speed
- 18.09 km/s
- Mean anomaly
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Named after
- Währing
- Followed by
- 227 Philosophia
- Follows
- 225 Henrietta
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +31.494
- Orbital period
- +1631.614786297446
Show 4 more facts
- P65
Article
226 Weringia is a typical main-belt asteroid. It was discovered by Johann Palisa on 19 July 1882, and was named after Währing, part of Vienna, the city where the asteroid was discovered. Photometric observations during 2008 showed a rotation period of 11.1496 ± 0.0009 hours and a brightness variation of 0.20 ± 0.02 in magnitude.
References