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
- Max Wolf
- Discovery date
- 7 January 1896
- Alternative designations
- 1896 CL
- Minor planet category
- Main belt
- Observation arc
- 99.18 yr (36,225 d)
- Aphelion
- 3.47021 AU (519.136 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 1.69586 AU (253.697 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 2.58304 AU (386.417 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 4.15 yr (1,516.3 d)
- Mean anomaly
- 83.4524 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 14 14.694 / day
- Inclination
- 18.7206°
- Longitude of ascending node
- 103.866°
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Followed by
- Q152742
- Follows
- Q152691
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +34.242
- Orbital period
- +1516.25776996895
- Image
- 413Edburga (Lightcurve Inversion).png
Show 4 more facts
Article
413 Edburga is a typical Main belt asteroid. Max Wolf discovered it on 7 January 1896 at Heidelberg Observatory. The origin of the name is unknown. This asteroid is orbiting the Sun at a distance of 2.58 AU with a period of 4.15 yr and an eccentricity of 0.34. Its orbital plane is inclined at an angle of 18.7° to the plane of the ecliptic.
Analysis of the asteroid's light curve based on photometric data collected during 2011 shows a rotation period of 15.78±0.02 h with a brightness variation of 0.53±0.02 in magnitude. This is consistent with prior results. This is classified as an M-type asteroid in the Tholen system and X-type in the Bus and Binzel taxonomy, with a moderate albedo and generally featureless near infrared spectra. An absorption feature has been detected at a wavelength 3 μm, suggesting this is W-type. It spans a diameter of 31.95±2.8 km. Radar echoes are bimodal, suggesting a bifurcated structure that is likely a contact binary.