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
- May 22, 1856
- Pronunciation
- / ˈ d æ f n i /
- Named after
- Daphne
- Alternative designations
- 1949 TG
- Minor planet category
- Main belt
- Adjectives
- Daphnean / ˈ d æ f n i ə n /
- Aphelion
- 3.517 AU (526.144 million km)
- Perihelion
- 2.014 AU (301.220 million km)
- Semi major axis
- 2.765 AU (413.682 million km)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 4.60 a (1,679.618 d )
- Mean anomaly
- 247.500°
- Inclination
- 15.765°
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Named after
- Daphne
- Followed by
- 42 Isis
- Follows
- 40 Harmonia
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +205.495
- Mass
- +6.8
- Orbital period
- +1682.683316703686
Show 5 more facts
Article
41 Daphne is a large asteroid from the asteroid belt. It is a dark-surfaced body 174 km in diameter and is probably composed of primitive carbonaceous chondrites. The spectra of the asteroid displays evidence of aqueous alteration. It was discovered by H. Goldschmidt on May 22, 1856, and named after Daphne, the nymph in Greek mythology who was turned into a laurel tree. Incorrect orbital calculations initially resulted in 56 Melete being mistaken for a second sighting of Daphne. Daphne was not sighted again until August 31, 1862.
The orbit of 41 Daphne places it in a 9:22 mean motion resonance with the planet Mars. The computed Lyapunov time for this asteroid is 14,000 years, indicating that it occupies a chaotic orbit that will change randomly over time because of gravitational perturbations of the planets.