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
Small body data
Near-Earth object5143 Heracles (1991 VL)
- Orbit class
- Apollo
- Diameter
- 4.843 km
- Albedo
- 0.227
- Rotation period
- 2.706 h
- Absolute magnitude
- 14.040 H
- Earth MOID
- 0.058 AU
via NASA/JPL Small-Body Database
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- near-Earth object
- Named after
- Heracles
- Followed by
- 5144 Achates
- Follows
- Q155033
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- Apollo asteroid
- Diameter
- +4.843
- Orbital period
- +907.7495729693055
Show 4 more facts
- P65