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
- Discovery date
- 30 September 1921
- Pronunciation
- English: / ˈ ɔː s ə / AW -sə , Norwegian: [ ˈôːsə ]
- Alternative designations
- A921 SB; 1944 RC;, 1967 RA1; 1970 PC
- Observation arc
- 94.55 yr (34533 days)
- Aphelion
- 2.6300 AU (393.44 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 1.7863 AU (267.23 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 2.2081 AU (330.33 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 3.28 yr (1198.5 d )
- Mean anomaly
- 327.686 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 18 1.332 / day
- Inclination
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Followed by
- Q157502
- Follows
- Q157492
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +7.249
- Orbital period
- +1198.628662758475
Show 4 more facts
Article
864 Aase is an S-type asteroid belonging to the Flora family in the Main Belt.
The object A917 CB discovered 13 February 1917, by Max Wolf was named 864 Aase, and the object 1926 XB discovered 7 December 1926, by Karl Reinmuth was named 1078 Mentha. In 1958 it was established that these were one and the same object. In 1974, this was resolved by keeping the name 1078 Mentha and reusing the name and number 864 Aase for the object 1921 KE, discovered 30 September 1921, by Karl Reinmuth. Aase refers to Åse, the mother of Peer Gynt, the character from Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt.