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
- 25 October 1888
- Pronunciation
- / ˈ θj uː l iː /
- Alternative designations
- A888 UA, 1920 GA, 1923 RA, 1927 EC, 1954 FF
- Minor planet category
- Asteroid belt ( Thule )
- Adjectives
- Thulean / ˈ θj uː l i ə n /
- Observation arc
- 125.34 yr (45780 d)
- Aphelion
- 4.4617880 AU (667.47398 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 4.2367660 AU (633.81117 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 4.3492770 AU (650.64258 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 9.07 yr (3313.0 d )
- Mean anomaly
- 62.75874 °
- Mean motion
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Named after
- Thule
- Followed by
- Q150116
- Follows
- 278 Paulina
- Parent body
- Sun
- Diameter
- +126.59
- Orbital period
- +3220.997983186042
- Image
- Орбита астероидов 279.png
Show 4 more facts
Article
279 Thule is a large asteroid from the outer asteroid belt. It was discovered by Austrian astronomer Johann Palisa on 25 October 1888 in Vienna. This body was named after the ultimate northern land of Thule, according to ancient Greek and Roman lore.
This asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 4.35 au (651 Gm), with an eccentricity of 0.026 and an orbital period of 9.07 years. The orbital plane is inclined at an angle of 2.32° to the plane of the ecliptic. Thule was the first asteroid discovered with a semi-major axis greater than 4 AU. It is the only large asteroid with a 4:3 resonance orbital with Jupiter that also has a small eccentricity and orbital inclination.