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
- J. Chacornac
- Discovery date
- January 12, 1856
- Designation
- (38) Leda
- Pronunciation
- / ˈ l iː d ə /
- Named after
- Leda
- Alternative names
- A904 SF; 1949 QO 2
- Minor planet category
- Main belt
- Adjectives
- Ledean / l ɪ ˈ d iː ə n / (Latin Lēdæ-us )
- Aphelion
- 472.587 million km (3.159 AU)
- Perihelion
- 348.232 million km (2.328 AU)
- Semi major axis
- 410.409 million km (2.743 AU )
- Orbital period sidereal
- 1659.725 d (4.54 a )
- Average orbital speed
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Named after
- Leda
- Followed by
- 39 Laetitia
- Follows
- 37 Fides
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +92.255
- Orbital period
- +1658.962269266565
- Image
- 38Leda (Lightcurve Inversion).png
Show 4 more facts
Article
38 Leda is a large, dark main-belt asteroid that was discovered by French astronomer J. Chacornac on January 12, 1856, and named after Leda, the mother of Helen of Troy in Greek mythology. In the Tholen classification system, it is categorized as a carbonaceous C-type asteroid, while the Bus asteroid taxonomy system lists it as a Cgh asteroid. The spectra of the asteroid displays evidence of aqueous alteration.
Leda has been studied by radar. During 2002, 38 Leda was observed by radar from the Arecibo Observatory. The return signal matched an effective diameter of 116 ± 13 km. This is consistent with some asteroid dimensions computed through other means. Based upon a light curve that was generated from photometric observations of this asteroid at Pulkovo Observatory, it has a rotation period of 12.834 ± 0.001 hours and varies in brightness by 0.15 ± 0.01 in magnitude.