230 Athamantis

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

K. de Ball

Discovery date

3 September 1882

Pronunciation

/ æ θ ə ˈ m æ n t ɪ s /

Named after

Helle

Alternative designations

1949 WG

Minor planet category

Main belt

Observation arc

133.58 yr (48791 d)

Aphelion

2.52818 AU (378.210 Gm )

Perihelion

2.23641 AU (334.562 Gm)

Semi major axis

2.38229 AU (356.386 Gm)

Orbital period sidereal

3.68 yr (1343.0 d )

Average orbital speed

19.3 km/s

Mean anomaly

116.2 °

Wikidata facts

Instance of

asteroid

Named after

Helle

Followed by

231 Vindobona

Follows

Q463917

Parent body

Sun

Minor-planet group

asteroid belt

Diameter

+111.332

Orbital period

+1343.106606500074

Image

230Athamantis (Lightcurve Inversion).png