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
- P. Shajn
- Discovery site
- Simeiz Obs.
- Discovery date
- 15 August 1928
- Pronunciation
- / p oʊ ˈ l oʊ n i ə /
- Named after
- Poland , (European country)
- Alternative designations
- 1928 PE · 1933 PA, A908 XA
- Minor planet category
- main-belt · ( outer ) , Eos
- Observation arc
- 89.20 yr (32,582 d)
- Aphelion
- 3.3423 AU
- Perihelion
- 2.6963 AU
- Semi major axis
- 3.0193 AU
- Orbital period sidereal
- 5.25 yr (1,916 d)
- Mean anomaly
- 326.70 °
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Named after
- Poland
- Followed by
- Q136095
- Follows
- 1111 Reinmuthia
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +39.661
- Orbital period
- +1913.902668344399
Show 5 more facts
- P65
Article
1112 Polonia (provisional designation 1928 PE) is an Eoan asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 38 kilometers (24 miles) in diameter. Discovered by Soviet astronomer Pelageya Shajn at Simeiz in 1928, it was the first asteroid discovery made by a woman. The L-type asteroid has a long rotation period of 82.5 hours, and was named for the country of Poland.
Discovery