Q136140

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

J. Comas Solà

Discovery site

Fabra Obs.

Discovery date

24 May 1927

Named after

Reginita (discoverer's niece)

Alternative designations

1927 KA · A904 TA

Minor planet category

main-belt · ( inner ) background

Observation arc

112.47 yr (41,080 days)

Aphelion

2.6934 AU

Perihelion

1.8017 AU

Semi major axis

2.2475 AU

Orbital period sidereal

3.37 yr (1,231 days)

Mean anomaly

245.71 °

Mean motion

0° 17 33 / day

Wikidata facts

Instance of

asteroid

Followed by

Q136144

Follows

Q136127

Parent body

Sun

Minor-planet group

asteroid belt

Diameter

+10.193

Orbital period

+1230.556905035706

Image

001117-asteroid shape model (1117) Reginita.png