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
- Max Wolf
- Discovery date
- 11 August 1915
- Pronunciation
- / ˈ l ʌ n d i ə /
- Named after
- Lund Observatory
- Alternative designations
- 1915 XP; 1936 VC
- Minor planet category
- Main belt
- Observation arc
- 100.48 yr (36700 d)
- Aphelion
- 2.72316 AU (407.379 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 1.84193 AU (275.549 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 2.28254 AU (341.463 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 3.45 yr (1259.6 d )
- Mean anomaly
- 76.7867 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 17 8.912 / day
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Named after
- Lund Observatory
- Followed by
- 810 Atossa
- Follows
- 808 Merxia
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +9.45
- Orbital period
- +1260.172095564811
- Image
- 809Lun-LB1-mag17.jpg
Show 3 more facts
- P61
- Max Wolf
Article
809 Lundia is a small, binary, V-type asteroid orbiting within the Flora family in the main belt. It is named after Lund Observatory, Sweden.
Characteristics