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
- Auguste Charlois
- Discovery date
- 15 November 1892
- Pronunciation
- / d ɪ ˌ s ɪ d ə ˈ r eɪ t ə /
- Named after
- Désirée Clary
- Alternative designations
- 1892 M
- Minor planet category
- Main belt
- Observation arc
- 123.40 yr (45073 d)
- Aphelion
- 3.41189 AU (510.411 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 1.78384 AU (266.859 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 2.59786 AU (388.634 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 4.19 yr (1529.4 d )
- Mean anomaly
- 301.200 °
- Mean motion
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Named after
- Désirée Clary
- Followed by
- 345 Tercidina
- Follows
- 343 Ostara
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +124.181
- Orbital period
- +1528.094408892286
Show 4 more facts
- P65
Article
344 Desiderata is a very large main-belt asteroid. It is classified as a C-type asteroid and is probably composed of carbonaceous material.
It was discovered by Auguste Charlois on 15 November 1892, in Nice.