726 Joëlla

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

Joel Hastings Metcalf

Discovery site

Winchester, Massachusetts

Discovery date

22 November 1911

Pronunciation

/ dʒ oʊ ˈ ɛ l ə /

Alternative designations

1911 NM

Observation arc

84.76 yr (30958 d)

Aphelion

3.2978 AU (493.34 Gm )

Perihelion

1.8387 AU (275.07 Gm)

Semi major axis

2.5683 AU (384.21 Gm)

Orbital period sidereal

4.12 yr (1503.4 d )

Mean anomaly

203.587 °

Mean motion

0° 14 22.092 / day

Inclination

Wikidata facts

Instance of

asteroid

Followed by

Q156773

Follows

725 Amanda

Parent body

Sun

Minor-planet group

asteroid belt

Diameter

+44.02

Orbital period

+1501.533175827604