Q149754

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

Johann Palisa

Discovery date

3 November 1886

Pronunciation

/ ˈ d r ɛ z d ə /

Named after

Dresden

Alternative designations

A886 VB, 1905 OC, 1915 RL, 1917 BA, 1950 XV, 1977 PC

Minor planet category

Main belt ( Koronis )

Observation arc

118.15 yr (43153 d)

Aphelion

3.10916 AU (465.124 Gm )

Perihelion

2.66885 AU (399.254 Gm)

Semi major axis

2.88900 AU (432.188 Gm)

Orbital period sidereal

4.91 yr (1793.6 d )

Average orbital speed

17.53 km/s

Mean anomaly

Wikidata facts

Instance of

asteroid

Named after

Dresden

Followed by

264 Libussa

Follows

262 Valda

Parent body

Sun

Minor-planet group

asteroid belt

Diameter

+23.952

Orbital period

+1789.552904558292