Q110704

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 , A. Schwassmann

Discovery site

Heidelberg Obs.

Discovery date

31 October 1899

Pronunciation

/ h æ m ˈ b ɜːr ɡ ə /

Named after

Hamburg , (German city)

Alternative designations

1899 EU · 1947 OA, 1948 TO · A901 EA

Minor planet category

main-belt · ( middle ) , background

Observation arc

117.91 yr (43,066 days)

Aphelion

2.9931 AU

Perihelion

2.1097 AU

Semi major axis

2.5514 AU

Orbital period sidereal

4.08 yr (1,489 days)

Mean anomaly

Wikidata facts

Instance of

asteroid

Named after

Hamburg

Followed by

450 Brigitta

Follows

Q154266

Parent body

Sun

Minor-planet group

asteroid belt

Diameter

+85.59

Orbital period

+1487.536896163977