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
- 11 March 1893
- Alternative designations
- 1893 N
- Minor planet category
- Main belt
- Adjectives
- Carlovian
- Observation arc
- 111.79 yr (40832 d)
- Aphelion
- 3.53698 AU (529.125 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 2.46807 AU (369.218 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 3.00253 AU (449.172 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 5.20 yr (1900.3 d )
- Mean anomaly
- 350.473 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 11 21.988 / day
- Inclination
- 11.6967°
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Followed by
- 361 Bononia
- Follows
- Q583532
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +129.125
- Orbital period
- +1902.56192533717
- Image
- 360Carlova (Lightcurve Inversion).png
Show 4 more facts
Article
360 Carlova is a very large main-belt asteroid. It is classified as a C-type asteroid and is probably composed of carbonaceous material. Dust activity due to sublimation has been detected on this asteroid, suggesting the presence of water ice in its interior.
The asteroid has a convex, roughly ellipsoid shape. The sidereal rotation period is 6.1873 hours with an axis of rotation along the ecliptic coordinates (l, b) = (95°±3°, 40°±1°). It was discovered by Auguste Charlois on 11 March 1893 in Nice.