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
- 22 April 1927
- Named after
- Niece of discoverer's friend
- Alternative designations
- 1927 HA · 1950 JQ, 1963 UU
- Minor planet category
- main-belt · ( outer ) , Hygiea
- Observation arc
- 90.20 yr (32,945 days)
- Aphelion
- 3.5836 AU
- Perihelion
- 2.7590 AU
- Semi major axis
- 3.1713 AU
- Orbital period sidereal
- 5.65 yr (2,063 days)
- Mean anomaly
- 302.93 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 10 28.2 / day
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Followed by
- Q137016
- Follows
- 1208 Troilus
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +26.889
- Orbital period
- +2060.706664236997
Show 3 more facts
Article
1209 Pumma (provisional designation 1927 HA) is a Hygiean asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 30 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 22 April 1927, by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at Heidelberg Observatory in southwest Germany. The asteroid was named after the niece of astronomer Albrecht Kahrstedt.
Orbit and classification