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
- A. Massinger
- Discovery site
- Heidelberg Obs.
- Discovery date
- 31 October 1913
- Pronunciation
- / ˈ b æ l i / , / ˈ b ɑː l i /
- Named after
- Bali (Indonesian island)
- Alternative designations
- 1913 TE
- Observation arc
- 113.62 yr (41,501 days)
- Aphelion
- 2.5557 AU
- Perihelion
- 1.8876 AU
- Semi major axis
- 2.2216 AU
- Orbital period sidereal
- 3.31 yr (1,209 days)
- Mean anomaly
- 119.08 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 17 51.36 / day
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Named after
- Mahabali
- Followed by
- 771 Libera
- Follows
- Q157006
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +16.388
- Orbital period
- +1209.008962763546
- Image
- 770Bali (Lightcurve Inversion).png
Show 4 more facts
Article
770 Bali is a minor planet orbiting the Sun. It is a member of the Flora family. It was discovered on 31 October 1913, by German astronomer Adam Massinger at the Heidelberg Observatory in southwest Germany. The asteroid was probably named after the Indonesian island of Bali, as the discoverer had named a couple other asteroids after places in Indonesia. The alternative hypothesis is that it was named after Bali, king of the Daityas in Hindu mythology.
References