Q132934

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

5 October 1926

Pronunciation

/ ˈ v aɪ . ə l ə /

Named after

Viola ( flowering plant )

Alternative designations

1926 TE

Minor planet category

main-belt · ( inner ) , Nysa · background

Observation arc

90.48 yr (33,048 days)

Aphelion

2.8323 AU

Perihelion

2.1164 AU

Semi major axis

2.4744 AU

Orbital period sidereal

3.89 yr (1,422 days)

Mean anomaly

70.608 °

Wikidata facts

Instance of

asteroid

Named after

Viola

Followed by

1077 Campanula

Follows

1075 Helina

Parent body

Sun

Minor-planet group

asteroid belt

Diameter

+22.298

Orbital period

+1420.705525437851