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 site
- Heidelberg
- Discovery date
- 20 September 1916
- Alternative designations
- 1916 AB
- Minor planet category
- Main belt Karin family
- Observation arc
- 94.56 yr (34538 d)
- Aphelion
- 3.0940 AU (462.86 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 2.6359 AU (394.33 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 2.8649 AU (428.58 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 4.85 yr (1771.2 d )
- Mean anomaly
- 200.354 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 12 11.7 / day
- Inclination
- 1.0046°
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Followed by
- Q155960
- Follows
- 831 Stateira
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +15.812
- Orbital period
- +1768.950143109549
- Image
- 832Karin (Lightcurve Inversion).png
Show 3 more facts
Article
832 Karin is a minor planet orbiting the Sun. It is the largest and brightest member of the Karin cluster, which is named after it. Found in 2002, the Karin cluster is notable for being very young. It is currently believed to have formed in a collision only 5.8 million years ago.
832 Karin is an S-type asteroid, approximately 19 km in diameter.