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
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Named after
- Westerwald
- Followed by
- 10254 Hunsrück
- Follows
- 10252 Heidigraf
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +2.27
- Orbital period
- +1270.80713903113
Show 3 more facts
- P61
- Tom Gehrels
- P65
Connections
Categories
Astronomical objects discovered in 1973Background asteroidsDiscoveries by Cornelis Johannes van HoutenDiscoveries by Ingrid van Houten-GroeneveldDiscoveries by the Palomar–Leiden Trojan-2 surveyDiscoveries by Tom GehrelsMinor planet object redirects (numbered)Minor planets to be visited by spacecraftNamed minor planetsUnprintworthy redirectsWesterwald