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
- R. Luther
- Discovery site
- Düsseldorf-Bilk Obs.
- Discovery date
- 4 May 1886
- Pronunciation
- / ˈ t aɪ k iː /
- Named after
- Tyche
- Alternative designations
- A886 JA
- Minor planet category
- Eunomia · main-belt
- Observation arc
- 129.95 yr (47465 d)
- Aphelion
- 3.1512 AU (471.41 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 2.0838 AU (311.73 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 2.6175 AU (391.57 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 4.23 yr (1546.8 d )
- Average orbital speed
- 18.42 km/s
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Named after
- Tyche
- Followed by
- 259 Aletheia
- Follows
- 257 Silesia
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +64.78
- Orbital period
- +1544.111940890564
- Image
- 258Tyche (Lightcurve Inversion).png
Show 4 more facts
Article
258 Tyche is a relatively large main belt asteroid discovered by Robert Luther at Düsseldorf-Bilk Observatory on 4 May 1886. The stony S-type asteroid measures about 65 kilometers in diameter and has a perihelion of 2.1 AU.
Tyche orbits very close to the Eunomia family of asteroids, and could be a member based on composition. However, it is larger than all family members apart from 15 Eunomia while lying at the very edge of the family group. Hence, there is a good chance that it is an unrelated interloper.