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 June 1901
- Pronunciation
- German: [ paːpaˈɡeːna ]
- Alternative designations
- 1901 GN
- Minor planet category
- Main belt
- Observation arc
- 114.84 yr (41944 d)
- Aphelion
- 3.5566 AU (532.06 Gm ) (Q)
- Perihelion
- 2.2193 AU (332.00 Gm) (q)
- Semi major axis
- 2.8879 AU (432.02 Gm) (a)
- Eccentricity
- 0.23154 (e)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 4.91 yr (1792.6 d )
- Mean anomaly
- 46.684 ° (M)
- Mean motion
- 0° 12 2.988 / day (n)
Article
471 Papagena is an asteroid that was discovered by German astronomer Max Wolf on 7 June 1901. Its provisional name was 1901 GN.
Papagena comes to a favorable near-opposition apparent magnitude of better than magnitude 9.8 every five years. On 30 September 2010, it was magnitude 9.68 and it will get brighter every five years until 12 December 2035, when this late-to-be-discovered asteroid will be at magnitude 9.28. It is named for a character in Mozart's opera, The Magic Flute.