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
- Maarten Schmidt
- Followed by
- 10431 Pottasch
- Follows
- 10429 van Woerden
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +5.687
- Orbital period
- +1658.191773924686
Show 3 more facts
- P61
- Tom Gehrels
- P65
Connections
Categories
Astronomical objects discovered in 1960Background asteroidsBinary asteroidsDiscoveries by Cornelis Johannes van HoutenDiscoveries by Ingrid van Houten-GroeneveldDiscoveries by the Palomar–Leiden surveyDiscoveries by Tom GehrelsMinor planet object redirects (numbered)Named minor planetsUnprintworthy redirects