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
- 18 October 1931
- Named after
- Boris Numerov , (Russian astronomer)
- Alternative designations
- 1931 UH · 1974 QE, 1974 TY 1
- Minor planet category
- main-belt · ( outer )
- Observation arc
- 85.63 yr (31,276 days)
- Aphelion
- 3.0180 AU
- Perihelion
- 2.7123 AU
- Semi major axis
- 2.8651 AU
- Orbital period sidereal
- 4.85 yr (1,771 days)
- Mean anomaly
- 38.115 °
- Mean motion
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Named after
- Boris Numerov
- Followed by
- Q136994
- Follows
- Q136977
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +14.534
- Orbital period
- +1771.711502680279
- Image
- 001206-asteroid shape model (1206) Numerowia.png
Show 3 more facts
Article
1206 Numerowia (provisional designation 1931 UH) is an asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 15 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at Heidelberg Observatory in southwest Germany on 18 October 1931, and named after Russian astronomer Boris Numerov.
Orbit and classification