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
- Heinrich d'Arrest
- Discovery date
- 21 October 1862
- Pronunciation
- / ˈ f r eɪ . ə /
- Named after
- Freyja
- Minor planet category
- Outer main belt ( Cybele )
- Adjectives
- Freian
- Aphelion
- 594.715 million km (3.975 AU)
- Perihelion
- 427.898 million km (2.860 AU)
- Semi major axis
- 511.306 million km (3.418 AU )
- Orbital period sidereal
- 2307.979 d (6.32 a )
- Average orbital speed
- 16.00 km/s
- Mean anomaly
- 299.268°
- Inclination
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Named after
- Freyja
- Followed by
- 77 Frigga
- Follows
- 75 Eurydike
- Parent body
- Sun
- Diameter
- +145.423
- Orbital period
- +2298.637797535972
- Image
- 76Freia (Lightcurve Inversion).png
Show 4 more facts
Article
76 Freia is a very large main-belt asteroid. It orbits in the outer part of the asteroid belt and is classified as a Cybele asteroid. Its composition is very primitive and it is extremely dark in color. Freia was discovered by the astronomer Heinrich d'Arrest on 21 October 1862, in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was his first and only asteroid discovery. It is named after the goddess Freyja in Norse mythology.
It is orbiting the Sun at a distance of 3.42 AU with a moderate eccentricity (ovalness) of 0.16 and an orbital period of 6.32 years. The orbital plane is inclined at an angle of 2.116° relative to the plane of the ecliptic. Based on infrared measurements, it has a diameter of 184 km. The asteroid has a Tholen spectral type of P.