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
- Alphonse Borrelly
- Discovery date
- 8 June 1875
- Pronunciation
- / l uː ˈ s aɪ n ə / or as Latin Lūcīna
- Alternative designations
- A875 LC; 1950 CY
- Minor planet category
- Main belt
- Observation arc
- 130.35 yr (47610 d)
- Aphelion
- 2.89945 AU (433.752 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 2.53641 AU (379.442 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 2.71793 AU (406.597 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 4.48 yr (1636.6 d )
- Average orbital speed
- 18.04 km/s
- Mean anomaly
- 198.102 °
- Mean motion
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Named after
- Lucina
- Followed by
- Q213466
- Follows
- 145 Adeona
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +160.31
- Mass
- +2.4
- Orbital period
- +1639.149401002333
- Image
- 146Lucina (Lightcurve Inversion).png
Show 4 more facts
Article
146 Lucina is a main-belt asteroid that was discovered by Alphonse Borrelly on June 8, 1875. It was named after Lucina, the Roman goddess of childbirth. This asteroid is large, dark and has a carbonaceous composition. The spectra of the asteroid displays evidence of aqueous alteration.
This body is orbiting the Sun at a distance of 2.72 AU with a low eccentricity of 0.07 and an orbital period of 4.48 years. The orbital plane is inclined at an angle of 13.1° to the plane of the ecliptic. Photometric observations of this asteroid made during 1979 and 1981 gave a light curve with a period of 18.54 hours.