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 site
- Heidelberg Obs.
- Discovery date
- 3 September 1902
- Pronunciation
- / ˈ v ɛr ɪ t æ s /
- Alternative designations
- 1902 JP
- Minor planet category
- main-belt · ( outer ) , Veritas
- Adjectives
- Veritasian
- Observation arc
- 113.37 yr (41409 d)
- Aphelion
- 3.4715 AU (519.33 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 2.8719 AU (429.63 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 3.1717 AU (474.48 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 5.65 yr (2063.2 d )
- Mean anomaly
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Named after
- Veritas
- Followed by
- 491 Carina
- Follows
- 489 Comacina
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +118.803
- Orbital period
- +2066.746467610404
Show 4 more facts
- P61
- Max Wolf
- P65
Article
490 Veritas is a carbonaceous Veritasian asteroid, which may have been involved in one of the more massive asteroid-asteroid collisions of the past 100 million years. It was discovered by German astronomer Max Wolf at Heidelberg Observatory on 3 September 1902.
Description