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
- Édouard Stephan
- Discovery date
- 6 August 1866
- Pronunciation
- / ˈ dʒ uː l i ə /
- Named after
- Julia of Corsica
- Minor planet category
- Main belt
- Adjectives
- Julian / ˈ dʒ uː l i ə n /
- Observation arc
- 149.68 yr (54672 d)
- Aphelion
- 3.0202 AU (451.82 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 2.08017 AU (311.189 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 2.55016 AU (381.499 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 4.07 yr (1487.5 d )
- Mean anomaly
- 255.367 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 14 31.272 / day
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Named after
- Julia of Corsica
- Followed by
- 90 Antiope
- Follows
- Q109954
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +145.483
- Mass
- +4.3
- Orbital period
- +1488.055780361856
- Image
- 89Julia (Lightcurve Inversion).png
Show 4 more facts
Article
89 Julia is a large main-belt asteroid that was discovered by French astronomer Édouard Stephan on 6 August 1866. This was first of his two asteroid discoveries; the other was 91 Aegina. 89 Julia is believed to be named after Saint Julia of Corsica. A stellar occultation by Julia was observed on 20 December 1985.
The spectrum of 89 Julia shows the signature of silicate rich minerals with possible indications of an abundant calcic clinopyroxene component. It is classified as an S-type asteroid. The asteroid has an estimated diameter of 151.4±3.1 km. Photometry from the Oakley Observatory during 2006 produced a lightcurve that indicated a sidereal rotation period of 11.38±0.01 with an amplitude of 0.20±0.02 in magnitude.