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
- M. F. Wolf , A. Schwassmann
- Discovery date
- 27 October 1899
- Pronunciation
- / iː ˈ t ɜːr n ɪ t æ s /
- Named after
- Aeternitas
- Alternative designations
- 1899 ER
- Minor planet category
- Main belt
- Observation arc
- 116.23 yr (42452 d)
- Aphelion
- 3.14078 AU (469.854 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 2.43222 AU (363.855 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 2.78650 AU (416.854 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 4.65 yr (1699.0 d )
- Mean anomaly
- 83.3875 °
- Mean motion
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Named after
- Aeternitas
- Followed by
- Q154218
- Follows
- Q154133
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +53.562
- Orbital period
- +1699.905253126125
Show 4 more facts
Article
446 Aeternitas is a main belt asteroid. It was discovered by Max Wolf and A. Schwassmann on 27 October 1899 in Heidelberg. It is classified as an A-type asteroid. The asteroid is roughly 45 km in diameter and has a high albedo.
References