Q136419

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

24 January 1930

Pronunciation

/ iː ˈ t oʊ l i ə /

Named after

Aetolia (Greek region)

Alternative designations

1930 BC · 1931 LC, 1937 LN · 1937 LU, 1942 GF · 1942 GS, 1943 PF · 1948 JS, 1948 KG · 1954 KJ, 1954 MU · 1958 BB, A902 GB · A907 CB, A908 GB

Minor planet category

main-belt · ( outer )

Observation arc

115.24 yr (42,093 days)

Aphelion

3.4423 AU

Perihelion

2.9265 AU

Semi major axis

3.1844 AU

Orbital period sidereal

5.68 yr (2,076 days)

Wikidata facts

Instance of

asteroid

Named after

Aetolia

Followed by

1143 Odysseus

Follows

Q136418

Parent body

Sun

Minor-planet group

asteroid belt

Diameter

+22.135

Orbital period

+2085.831819038062