Q114631

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. H. Metcalf

Discovery site

Winchester Obs.

Discovery date

16 November 1912

Named after

Harvard University , ( Cambridge, Massachusetts )

Alternative designations

A912 WC · 1937 FC, 1947 HB · 1912 PZ

Minor planet category

main-belt · ( inner ) background

Observation arc

106.85 yr (39,027 d)

Aphelion

2.5653 AU

Perihelion

1.8382 AU

Semi major axis

2.2018 AU

Orbital period sidereal

3.27 yr (1,193 d)

Mean anomaly

28.744 °

Mean motion

Wikidata facts

Instance of

asteroid

Named after

Harvard University

Followed by

Q156840

Follows

Q156826

Parent body

Sun

Minor-planet group

asteroid belt

Diameter

+17.111

Orbital period

+1193.287095499989