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
- Discovery date
- 16 November 1904
- Pronunciation
- German: [ ˈzɛntaː ]
- Alternative designations
- 1904 PL
- Observation arc
- 115.33 yr (42124 d)
- Aphelion
- 3.1653 AU (473.52 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 2.0115 AU (300.92 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 2.5884 AU (387.22 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 4.16 yr (1521.1 d )
- Mean anomaly
- 17.4133 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 14 12.012 / day
- Inclination
- 10.108°
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Followed by
- Q155454
- Follows
- Q155428
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +37.434
- Orbital period
- +1522.459812398752
- Image
- 550Senta (Lightcurve Inversion).png
Show 4 more facts
Article
550 Senta is a minor planet orbiting the Sun that was discovered by German astronomer Max Wolf on 16 November 1904, from Heidelberg.
Photometric observations of this asteroid made at the Torino Observatory in Italy during 1990–1991 were used to determine a synodic rotation period of 20.555 ± 0.01 hours.