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
- M. F. Wolf
- Discovery site
- Heidelberg Obs.
- Discovery date
- 12 May 1917
- Pronunciation
- / ˈ m æ n t oʊ /
- Named after
- Μαντώ Mantō ( Greek mythology )
- Alternative designations
- A917 JC · 1935 NB, 1935 QV · 1953 UE 1 , A907 TF · A914 UC, 1917 BX · 1907 TF, 1914 UC
- Minor planet category
- main-belt · ( inner ) background
- Adjectives
- Mantoian / m æ n ˈ t oʊ . i ə n /
- Observation arc
- 102.14 yr (37,307 d)
- Aphelion
- 2.9379 AU
- Perihelion
- 1.7065 AU
- Semi major axis
- 2.3222 AU
- Orbital period sidereal
Article
870 Manto (prov. designation: A917 JC or 1917 BX) is a stony background asteroid and slow rotator from the inner region of the asteroid belt. It was discovered on 12 May 1917, by astronomer Max Wolf at the Heidelberg Observatory in southwest Germany. The likely heavily elongated S-type asteroid has a long rotation period of 122.3 hours and measures approximately 13 kilometers (8 miles) in diameter. It was named after Manto, a prophetess in Greek mythology.
Orbit and classification