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 site
- Nice Observatory
- Discovery date
- 20 September 1893
- Pronunciation
- / k æ m ˈ p eɪ n i ə /
- Named after
- Campania
- Alternative designations
- A893 SD · 1935 GP · 1946 UP
- Minor planet category
- Main belt
- Observation arc
- 132.07 yr (48239 d)
- Aphelion
- 2.8928 AU (432.76 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 2.4880 AU (372.20 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 2.6904 AU (402.48 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 4.4129 yr (1611.8 d )
- Mean anomaly
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Named after
- Campania
- Followed by
- 378 Holmia
- Follows
- 376 Geometria
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +90.346
- Orbital period
- +1611.826355403396
- Image
- 377Campania (Lightcurve Inversion).png
Show 4 more facts
Article
377 Campania is a large asteroid located in the main asteroid belt. It was discovered by French astronomer Auguste Charlois on 20 September 1893 in Nice, and it was named after the Italian region of Campania. It is around 90 kilometres (56 mi) in diameter and rotates relatively slowly with a rotation period of 11.66 hours.
Discovery and naming