685 Hermia

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

W. Lorenz

Discovery site

Heidelberg Obs.

Discovery date

12 August 1909

Alternative designations

1909 HE

Observation arc

89.52 yr (32696 d)

Aphelion

2.6752 AU (400.20 Gm )

Perihelion

1.7969 AU (268.81 Gm)

Semi major axis

2.2360 AU (334.50 Gm)

Orbital period sidereal

3.34 yr (1221.3 d )

Mean anomaly

4.11590 °

Mean motion

0° 17 41.208 / day

Inclination

3.6466°

Longitude of ascending node

235.210°

Wikidata facts

Instance of

asteroid

Followed by

Q156493

Follows

Q156483

Parent body

Sun

Minor-planet group

asteroid belt

Diameter

+10.95

Orbital period

+1220.839441785459

Image

685Hermia (Lightcurve Inversion).png