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
- Ernst Wilhelm Tempel
- Discovery date
- September 30, 1864
- Pronunciation
- / t ɜːr p ˈ s ɪ x ər ɛ /
- Named after
- Terpsichore
- Minor planet category
- Main belt
- Adjectives
- Terpsichorean / t ɜːr p s ɪ x ə ˈ r iː ə n /
- Aphelion
- 516.955 million km (3.456 AU)
- Perihelion
- 337.132 million km (2.254 AU)
- Semi major axis
- 427.044 million km (2.855 AU )
- Orbital period sidereal
- 1761.647 d (4.82 a )
- Average orbital speed
- 17.43 km/s
- Mean anomaly
- 149.581°
- Inclination
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Named after
- Terpsichore
- Followed by
- 82 Alkmene
- Follows
- 80 Sappho
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +117.727
- Orbital period
- +1758.794165336099
Show 4 more facts
- P65
Article
81 Terpsichore is a large and very dark main-belt asteroid. It has most probably a very primitive carbonaceous composition. It was found by the prolific comet discoverer Ernst Tempel on September 30, 1864. It is named after Terpsichore, the Muse of dance in Greek mythology.
This object is orbiting the Sun at a distance of 2.855 AU with a moderate eccentricity of 0.212 and an orbital period of 4.82 years. The orbital plane is inclined at an angle of 7.80° relative to the plane of the ecliptic. Infrared measurements provide a diameter estimate of 117.7±0.7 km. It has the spectrum of a carbonaceous C-type asteroid.