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. Helffrich
- Discovery site
- Heidelberg Obs.
- Discovery date
- 9 October 1910
- Pronunciation
- / h ɪ ˈ r ʌ n d oʊ /
- Named after
- Hirundo (swallows) , (Genus of birds)
- Alternative designations
- A910 TF · 1948 AE, 1957 DA · 1977 QB, A924 WD · 1910 KX
- Minor planet category
- main-belt · ( middle ) background
- Adjectives
- Hirundinian / h ɪr ə n ˈ d ɪ n i ə n /
- Observation arc
- 109.55 yr (40,014 d)
- Aphelion
- 3.2601 AU
- Perihelion
- 2.1987 AU
- Semi major axis
- 2.7294 AU
- Orbital period sidereal
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Followed by
- Q156668
- Follows
- 705 Erminia
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +30.819
- Orbital period
- +1644.861490007727
Show 4 more facts
Article
706 Hirundo (prov. designation: A910 TF or 1910 KX) is an elongated background asteroid, located in the central region of the asteroid belt. It was discovered by German astronomer Joseph Helffrich at the Heidelberg Observatory on 9 October 1910. The carbonaceous C-type asteroid (Cgh) has a rotation period of 22.0 hours and measures approximately 30 kilometers (19 miles) in diameter. It was named after the bird genus Hirundo, commonly known as swallows.
Orbit and classification