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
- C. A. Wirtanen
- Discovery site
- Lick Obs.
- Discovery date
- 7 March 1948
- Pronunciation
- / æ n ˈ t ɪ n oʊ ə s /
- Named after
- Antinous (Greek mythology)
- Alternative designations
- 1948 EA
- Minor planet category
- Apollo NEO
- Observation arc
- 68.91 yr (25,168 days)
- Earliest precovery date
- 5 March 1948
- Aphelion
- 3.6293 AU
- Perihelion
- 0.8895 AU
- Semi major axis
- 2.2594 AU
- Orbital period sidereal
- 3.40 yr (1,240 days)
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- near-Earth object
- Named after
- Antinous son of Eupeithes
- Followed by
- 1864 Daedalus
- Follows
- 1862 Apollo
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +2.1
- Orbital period
- +1241.064828433463
Show 4 more facts
- P65
Article
1863 Antinous /ænˈtɪnoʊəs/, provisional designation 1948 EA, is a stony asteroid and near-Earth object, approximately 2–3 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 7 March 1948 by American astronomer Carl Wirtanen at Lick Observatory on the summit of Mount Hamilton, California. It was named after Antinous from Greek mythology.
Orbit and classification