Q136455

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

7 May 1929

Pronunciation

/ b i ˈ ɑːr m i ə /

Named after

Bjarmaland ( Permia ), (territory in Norse sagas)

Alternative designations

1929 JF · 1941 WD 1 , A913 KA

Minor planet category

main-belt · ( outer )

Observation arc

87.88 yr (32,098 days)

Aphelion

3.8212 AU

Perihelion

2.2678 AU

Semi major axis

3.0445 AU

Orbital period sidereal

5.31 yr (1,940 days)

Mean anomaly

Wikidata facts

Instance of

asteroid

Named after

Bjarmaland

Followed by

1147 Stavropolis

Follows

Q136442

Parent body

Sun

Minor-planet group

asteroid belt

Diameter

+32.925

Orbital period

+1941.984599204258

Image

1146 Biarmia flat view.png