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
- 22 April 1925
- Pronunciation
- German: [ beːˈʔaːtə ]
- Named after
- unknown
- Alternative designations
- 1925 HB
- Minor planet category
- main-belt · ( outer )
- Observation arc
- 92.20 yr (33,677 days)
- Aphelion
- 3.2214 AU
- Perihelion
- 2.9717 AU
- Semi major axis
- 3.0966 AU
- Orbital period sidereal
- 5.45 yr (1,990 days)
- Mean anomaly
- 255.00 °
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Followed by
- Q132843
- Follows
- 1042 Amazone
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +31.986
- Orbital period
- +1985.739507773733
Show 4 more facts
Article
1043 Beate, provisional designation 1925 HB, is a stony asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 32 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory on 22 April 1925. Any reference of its name to a person is unknown.
Orbit and classification