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
- Raymond Smith Dugan
- Discovery site
- Heidelberg
- Discovery date
- 4 November 1902
- Pronunciation
- / ˈ aɪ v ə /
- Alternative designations
- 1902 KJ
- Observation arc
- 113.45 yr (41,438 d) 113.45 yr (41438 d)
- Aphelion
- 3.7065 AU (554.48 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 1.9966 AU (298.69 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 2.8516 AU (426.59 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 4.82 yr (1,758.8 d) 4.82 yr (1758.8 d )
- Mean anomaly
- 242.202 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 12 16.848 / day
- Inclination
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Followed by
- Q154902
- Follows
- Q154876
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +40.932
- Orbital period
- +1757.998355777597
Show 4 more facts
Article
497 Iva is a main-belt asteroid orbiting the Sun, not to be confused with 1627 Ivar. It was discovered by American astronomer R. S. Dugan on 4 November 1902, and was named for Iva Shores, the young daughter of the family where he was staying in Heidelberg. This object is orbiting at a distance of 2.85 AU with a period of 4.82 yr and an eccentricity of 0.3. The orbital plane is inclined at an angle of 4.8° to the plane of the ecliptic.
This asteroid is classified as an M-type asteroid and is considered anhydrous but oxidized. Further analysis of the spectra suggests the "presence of either an olivine or high-Ca pyroxene phase in addition to orthopyroxene ± Type B clinopyroxene". Analysis of light curves based on photometric data show a rotation period of 4.621±0.001 h with a brightness variation of 0.34±0.02 in magnitude.