Q148112

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

J. Palisa

Discovery site

Vienna Obs.

Discovery date

19 May 1881

Pronunciation

/ s t ɪ ˈ f eɪ n i ə /

Named after

Princess Stéphanie , (Belgian royalty)

Alternative designations

A881 KA · 1925 VE, 1931 FP · 1932 UA, 1943 WB · 1946 MA, 1950 TT 4 · 1961 WB

Minor planet category

main-belt · ( inner ) , background

Observation arc

86.28 yr (31,514 days)

Aphelion

2.9543 AU

Perihelion

1.7443 AU

Semi major axis

2.3493 AU

Orbital period sidereal

3.60 yr (1,315 days)

Mean anomaly

Wikidata facts

Instance of

asteroid

Named after

Princess Stéphanie of Belgium

Followed by

221 Eos

Follows

219 Thusnelda

Parent body

Sun

Minor-planet group

asteroid belt

Diameter

+31.738

Orbital period

+1314.670281933238

Image

220Stephania (Lightcurve Inversion).png