950 Ahrensa

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

K. Reinmuth

Discovery site

Heidelberg Obs.

Discovery date

1 April 1921

Named after

Ahrens family, (friends of discoverer)

Alternative designations

1921 JP · 1955 SU 2 , 1974 VG 3 · A904 RF

Minor planet category

main-belt · Phocaea

Observation arc

111.60 yr (40761 days)

Aphelion

2.7477 AU (411.05 Gm )

Perihelion

1.9958 AU (298.57 Gm)

Semi major axis

2.3717 AU (354.80 Gm)

Orbital period sidereal

3.65 yr (1334.1 d )

Mean anomaly

53.005 °

Mean motion

Wikidata facts

Instance of

asteroid

Followed by

951 Gaspra

Follows

Q158197

Parent body

Sun

Minor-planet group

asteroid belt

Diameter

+13.704

Orbital period

+1333.120410963914

Image

000950-asteroid shape model (950) Ahrensa.png