Q140610

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

Y. Väisälä

Discovery site

Turku Observatory

Discovery date

12 February 1939

Named after

Estonia , ( Baltic country )

Alternative designations

1939 CK · 1930 FE, 1930 FV · 1950 RG 1 , 1950 SR · 1959 RF 1 , A916 GE · A923 VE

Minor planet category

main-belt · ( middle )

Observation arc

93.57 yr (34,176 days)

Aphelion

2.9610 AU

Perihelion

2.5761 AU

Semi major axis

2.7685 AU

Orbital period sidereal

4.61 yr (1,683 days)

Mean anomaly

346.22 °

Mean motion

Wikidata facts

Instance of

asteroid

Named after

Estonia

Followed by

1542 Schalén

Follows

1540 Kevola

Parent body

Sun

Minor-planet group

asteroid belt

Diameter

+22.0

Orbital period

+1684.545369209231