Q136203

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

G. Neujmin

Discovery site

Simeiz Obs.

Discovery date

21 September 1928

Named after

Harlow Shapley , (American astronomer)

Alternative designations

1928 ST · 1974 QQ 2 , 2016 FJ 6

Minor planet category

main-belt · Flora

Observation arc

87.81 yr (32,073 days)

Aphelion

2.5741 AU

Perihelion

1.8758 AU

Semi major axis

2.2250 AU

Orbital period sidereal

3.32 yr (1,212 days)

Mean anomaly

207.68 °

Mean motion

0° 17 49.2 / day

Wikidata facts

Instance of

asteroid

Named after

Harlow Shapley

Followed by

Q136204

Follows

1122 Neith

Parent body

Sun

Minor-planet group

asteroid belt

Diameter

+11.282

Orbital period

+1212.546131966566