925 Alphonsina

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

J. Comas Solà

Discovery site

Fabra Obs.

Discovery date

13 January 1920

Pronunciation

/ æ l f ɒ n ˈ s aɪ n ə /

Named after

Alfonso X and Alfonso XIII , (Kings of Castile and Spain)

Alternative designations

1920 GM · A902 ED

Minor planet category

main-belt · ( middle ) , Hansa

Observation arc

115.98 yr (42,362 d)

Aphelion

2.9130 AU

Perihelion

2.4881 AU

Semi major axis

2.7006 AU

Orbital period sidereal

4.44 yr (1,621 d)

Mean anomaly

Wikidata facts

Instance of

asteroid

Followed by

Q158046

Follows

Q158034

Parent body

Sun

Minor-planet group

asteroid belt

Diameter

+57.505

Orbital period

+1619.837801286279

Image

925Alphonsina 20031222 (OccultationAndLCInversion).jpg