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
- 28 November 1892
- Pronunciation
- classically: / p ær i ˈ eɪ n ə /
- Named after
- unknown
- Alternative designations
- 1892 Q · A892 WD
- Minor planet category
Article
347 Pariana (prov. designation: A892 WD or 1892 Q) is a metallic background asteroid from the central region of the asteroid belt. It was discovered by French astronomer Auguste Charlois at the Nice Observatory on 28 November 1892. The M-type asteroid has a short rotation period of 4.1 hours and measures approximately 49 kilometers (30 miles) in diameter. The origin of the asteroid's name remains unknown.
References