325 Heidelberga

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

Max Wolf

Discovery date

4 March 1892

Pronunciation

/ ˌ h aɪ d əl ˈ b ɜːr ɡ ə /

Named after

Heidelberg

Minor planet category

Main belt

Adjectives

Heidelergian / ˌ h aɪ d əl ˈ b ɜːr dʒ i ə n , - ɡ i ə n /

Observation arc

117.86 yr (43050 d)

Aphelion

3.7223 AU (556.85 Gm )

Perihelion

2.69998 AU (403.911 Gm)

Semi major axis

3.21115 AU (480.381 Gm)

Orbital period sidereal

5.75 yr (2101.8 d )

Mean anomaly

7.2090 °

Mean motion

Wikidata facts

Instance of

asteroid

Named after

Heidelberg

Followed by

326 Tamara

Follows

Q151102

Parent body

Sun

Diameter

+75.72

Orbital period

+2108.807362263335