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
- H. Goldschmidt
- Discovery date
- October 5, 1855
- Designation
- (36) Atalante
- Pronunciation
- / æ t ə ˈ l æ n t ə / for Atalanta , / æ t ə ˈ l æ n t iː / for Atalante
- Named after
- Atalanta
- Alternative names
- A901 SB; A912 HC, Atalanta
- Minor planet category
- Main belt
- Adjectives
- Atalantean / ˌ æ t ə l æ n ˈ t iː ə n /
- Aphelion
- 535.625 million km (3.580 AU)
- Perihelion
- 286.217 million km (1.913 AU)
- Semi major axis
- 410.921 million km (2.747 AU )
- Orbital period sidereal
- 1662.831 d (4.55 a )
- Average orbital speed
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Named after
- Atalanta
- Followed by
- 37 Fides
- Follows
- 35 Leukothea
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +132.842
- Orbital period
- +1660.854217099163
- Image
- 36Atalante (Lightcurve Inversion).png
Show 4 more facts
Article
36 Atalante is a large, dark main-belt asteroid. It was discovered by the German-French astronomer H. Goldschmidt on October 5, 1855, and named by French mathematician Urbain Le Verrier after the Greek mythological heroine Atalanta (of which Atalante is the French and German form, pronounced nearly the same as 'Atalanta' in English). It was rendered 'Atalanta' in English sources in the 19th century. This asteroid is classified as C-type (carbonaceous), according to the Tholen classification system.
Observation of the asteroid light curve indicates it is rotating with a period of 9.93 ± 0.01 hours. During this interval, the magnitude varies by an amplitude of 0.12 ± 0.02. By combining the results of multiple light curves, the approximate ellipsoidal shape of the object can be estimated. It appears to be slightly elongated, being about 28.2% longer along one axis compared to the other two. Atalante was observed by Arecibo radar in October 2010.