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
- 19 October 1922
- Named after
- Amelia Solà, (discoverer's wife)
- Alternative designations
- A922 UA · 1922 MQ, 1935 BK · 1966 VA, A915 JC
- Minor planet category
- main-belt · ( outer ) , background
- Observation arc
- 93.64 yr (34,203 d)
- Aphelion
- 3.7674 AU
- Perihelion
- 2.4961 AU
- Semi major axis
- 3.1317 AU
- Orbital period sidereal
- 5.54 yr (2,024 d)
- Mean anomaly
- 210.80 °
- Mean motion
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Followed by
- Q158481
- Follows
- Q158471
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +48.677
- Orbital period
- +2024.244321627458
- Image
- 000986-asteroid shape model (986) Amelia.png
Show 3 more facts
Article
986 Amelia (prov. designation: A922 UA or 1922 MQ) is a large background asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 50 kilometers (31 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 19 October 1922, by Spanish astronomer Josep Comas i Solà at the Fabra Observatory in Barcelona. The L/D-type asteroid has a rotation period of 9.5 hours. It was named after the discoverer's wife, Amelia Solà.
Orbit and classification