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
- 18 December 1897
- Pronunciation
- / ˈ p ɪ θ i ə /
- Named after
- The Pythia
- Alternative designations
- 1897 DO
- Minor planet category
- Main belt
- Observation arc
- 115.48 yr (42179 d)
- Aphelion
- 2.71405 AU (406.016 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 2.02374 AU (302.747 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 2.36890 AU (354.382 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 3.65 yr (1331.7 d )
- Mean anomaly
- 4.40721 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 16 13.166 / day
Article
432 Pythia is a typical Main belt asteroid.
It was discovered by Auguste Charlois on 18 December 1897 in Nice.