Q137170

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

9 October 1931

Pronunciation

/ ˈ r aɪ s i ə /

Named after

Hugh Rice , (U.S. amateur astronomer)

Alternative designations

1931 TX 1 · 1964 TS, 1964 UE · 1975 HH

Minor planet category

main-belt · ( inner ) , background

Observation arc

86.13 yr (31,459 days)

Aphelion

3.0335 AU

Perihelion

2.1104 AU

Semi major axis

2.5719 AU

Orbital period sidereal

4.12 yr (1,507 days)

Mean anomaly

Wikidata facts

Instance of

asteroid

Followed by

Q137180

Follows

Q137160

Parent body

Sun

Minor-planet group

asteroid belt

Diameter

+6.194

Orbital period

+1507.701288095527

Image

001230-asteroid shape model (1230) Riceia.png