301 Bavaria

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

16 November 1890

Pronunciation

/ b ə ˈ v ɛər i ə /

Named after

Bavaria

Alternative designations

A890 WA; 1928 DH 1 , 1951 FD; 1952 OF

Minor planet category

main-belt

Observation arc

117.42 yr (42888 d)

Aphelion

2.90693 AU (434.871 Gm )

Perihelion

2.54364 AU (380.523 Gm)

Semi major axis

2.72528 AU (407.696 Gm)

Orbital period sidereal

4.50 yr (1643.3 d )

Mean anomaly

115.993 °

Mean motion

Wikidata facts

Instance of

asteroid

Named after

Bavaria

Followed by

302 Clarissa

Follows

Q150557

Parent body

Sun

Minor-planet group

asteroid belt

Diameter

+53.042

Orbital period

+1642.699506883815

Image

000301-asteroid shape model (301) Bavaria.png