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
- Pronunciation
- / ˈ ʃ ɒr i ə /
- Named after
- Richard Schorr , (1867–1951), (German astronomer)
- Alternative designations
- 1931 UJ · 1988 HD
- Minor planet category
- Mars-crosser · Hungaria
- Observation arc
- 88.52 yr (32,333 d)
- Aphelion
- 2.2056 AU
- Perihelion
- 1.6147 AU
- Semi major axis
- 1.9102 AU
- Orbital period sidereal
- 2.64 yr (964 d)
- Mean anomaly
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Named after
- Richard Schorr
- Followed by
- 1236 Thaïs
- Follows
- Q137204
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +9
- Orbital period
- +964.3993392540326
Show 5 more facts
- P65
Article
1235 Schorria (prov. designation: 1931 UJ), is a Hungaria asteroid, sizable Mars-crosser, and exceptionally slow rotator from the inner region of the asteroid belt. The carbonaceous C-type asteroid has an outstandingly long rotation period of 1265 hours (7.5 weeks) and measures approximately 5.5 kilometers (3.4 miles) kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by Karl Reinmuth at Heidelberg Observatory in southwest Germany on 18 October 1931, and named after German astronomer Richard Schorr (1867–1951).
Orbit and classification