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 site
- Heidelberg Obs.
- Discovery date
- 15 November 1892
- Named after
- Ēostre
- Alternative designations
- 1892 N · A892 VA
- Minor planet category
- Main belt
- Observation arc
- 123.10 yr (44961 d)
- Aphelion
- 2.96385 AU (443.386 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 1.85989 AU (278.236 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 2.41187 AU (360.811 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 3.75 yr (1368.1 d )
- Mean anomaly
- 16.5913 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 15 47.275 / day
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Named after
- Ēostre
- Followed by
- 344 Desiderata
- Follows
- 342 Endymion
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +18.213
- Orbital period
- +1367.945973643384
- Image
- 000343-asteroid shape model (343) Ostara.png
Show 4 more facts
- P61
- Max Wolf
Article
343 Ostara (prov. designation: A892 VA or 1892 N) is a background asteroid from the inner region of the asteroid belt. It was discovered by German astronomer Max Wolf at the Heidelberg Observatory on 15 November 1892.
References