252 Clementina

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

J. Perrotin

Discovery date

11 October 1885

Alternative designations

A885 TB

Minor planet category

Main belt

Observation arc

130.51 yr (47667 d)

Aphelion

3.3790 AU (505.49 Gm )

Perihelion

2.93952 AU (439.746 Gm)

Semi major axis

3.15924 AU (472.616 Gm)

Orbital period sidereal

5.62 yr (2051.0 d )

Average orbital speed

16.77 km/s

Mean anomaly

131.151 °

Mean motion

0° 10 31.876 / day

Inclination

10.044°

Wikidata facts

Instance of

asteroid

Followed by

Q149417

Follows

251 Sophia

Parent body

Sun

Minor-planet group

asteroid belt

Diameter

+65.344

Orbital period

+2051.944468242204