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
- C. Shoemaker , E. Shoemaker
- Discovery site
- Palomar Obs.
- Discovery date
- 26 May 1984
- Pronunciation
- / ˈ p ɛər ɪ s /
- Named after
- Paris (Greek mythology)
- Alternative designations
- 1984 KF · 1963 QD, 1982 BN 3 · 1982 DC
- Minor planet category
- Jupiter trojan , Trojan · background
- Adjectives
- Paridian
- Observation arc
- 54.43 yr (19,879 d)
- Aphelion
- 5.8845 AU
- Perihelion
- 4.5601 AU
- Semi major axis
- 5.2223 AU
- Orbital period sidereal
Article
3317 Paris, provisional designation 1984 KF, is a large Jupiter trojan from the Trojan camp, approximately 119 kilometers (74 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 26 May 1984 by American astronomer couple Carolyn and Eugene Shoemaker at Palomar Observatory in California, United States. The unusual and likely spherical T-type asteroid is one of the largest Jupiter trojans and has a rotation period of 7.1 hours. It was named after Trojan prince Paris from Greek mythology.
Orbit and classification