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. U. Cesco , A. G. Samuel
- Discovery site
- El Leoncito Complex
- Discovery date
- 3 March 1971
- Pronunciation
- / d iː ˈ ɪ f ə b ə s /
- Named after
- Deiphobus (Greek mythology)
- Alternative designations
- 1971 EA
- Minor planet category
- Jupiter trojan , Trojan · Ennomos
- Adjectives
- Deiphobian
- Observation arc
- 46.15 yr (16,858 days)
- Aphelion
- 5.3511 AU
- Perihelion
- 4.9040 AU
- Semi major axis
- 5.1276 AU
- Orbital period sidereal
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Named after
- Deiphobus
- Followed by
- 1868 Thersites
- Follows
- 1866 Sisyphus
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +118.22
- Orbital period
- +4250.384553603297
Show 3 more facts
Article
1867 Deiphobus /diːˈɪfəbəs/ is a dark Jupiter trojan from the Trojan camp, approximately 123 kilometers (76 mi) in diameter. It was discovered on 3 March 1971, by Argentine astronomers Carlos Cesco and A. G. Samuel at the Leoncito Astronomical Complex in Argentina, and later named after the Trojan prince Deiphobus from Greek mythology. The dark D-type asteroid is one of the largest Jupiter trojans. It is a member of the Ennomos family and has a long rotation period of 58.66 hours.
Orbit and classification