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
- J. Palisa
- Discovery site
- Vienna
- Discovery date
- 4 November 1907
- Pronunciation
- / ˈ dʒ uː b ɪ l eɪ t r ɪ k s /
- Alternative designations
- 1907 AU
- Observation arc
- 107.23 yr (39,167 d)
- Aphelion
- 2.8787 AU (430.65 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 2.2303 AU (333.65 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 2.5545 AU (382.15 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 4.08 yr (1,491.3 d)
- Mean anomaly
- 263.74 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 14 29.04 / day
- Inclination
- 15.743°
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Followed by
- Q112396
- Follows
- Q156176
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +15.595
- Orbital period
- +1491.8787630501
Show 3 more facts
- P6259
Article
652 Jubilatrix is a minor planet, specifically an asteroid orbiting in the asteroid belt. It was discovered on 4 November 1907 by Austrian astronomer Johann Palisa, and was named in honor of the 60th anniversary of the reign of Franz Joseph. The asteroid is orbiting at a distance of 2.55 AU with a period of 4.08 yr and an eccentricity of 0.127. It is a member of the Maria dynamic family. Photometric observations provide a rotation period of 2.6627±0.0001 h with a brightness variation of 0.27±0.03 in magnitude.
References