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
- Auguste Charlois
- Discovery date
- 3 October 1890
- Alternative designations
- A890 TB, 1923 LB, 1933 BV, 1950 DV, 1953 PJ, 1953 RO 1 , 1961 AD
- Minor planet category
- Main belt
- Observation arc
- 115.84 yr (42,312 d)
- Aphelion
- 3.38735 AU (506.740 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 3.02385 AU (452.362 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 3.20560 AU (479.551 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 5.74 yr (2,096.3 d)
- Mean anomaly
- 312.717 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 10 18.221 / day
- Inclination
- 0.732270°
- Longitude of ascending node
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Followed by
- 301 Bavaria
- Follows
- 299 Thora
- Parent body
- Sun
- Diameter
- +67.373
- Orbital period
- +2093.617879337623
Show 3 more facts
via Wikidata · CC0
Article
300 Geraldina is a large Main belt asteroid. It was discovered by Auguste Charlois on October 3, 1890, in Nice. The origin of the name is unknown. It is orbiting the Sun at a distance of 3.21 AU with a period of 5.74 yr and an eccentricity (ovalness) of 0.057. The orbital plane is tilted at an angle of 0.73° to the plane of the ecliptic.
Light curve analysis based on photometric observations of this asteroid made during 2005 show a rotation period of 6.842±0.001 h with a brightness variation of 0.18 in magnitude.