Q150730

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

16 February 1891

Pronunciation

/ ɡ ɔːr ˈ d oʊ n i ə /

Alternative designations

A891 DA; 1938 SC 1 , 1970 SP 1

Minor planet category

Main belt

Observation arc

123.90 yr (45255 d)

Aphelion

3.69187 AU (552.296 Gm )

Perihelion

2.49627 AU (373.437 Gm)

Semi major axis

3.09407 AU (462.866 Gm)

Orbital period sidereal

5.44 yr (1987.9 d )

Mean anomaly

43.0648 °

Mean motion

0° 10 51.946 / day

Inclination

Wikidata facts

Instance of

asteroid

Named after

James Gordon Bennett Jr.

Followed by

306 Unitas

Follows

304 Olga

Parent body

Sun

Minor-planet group

asteroid belt

Diameter

+47.739

Orbital period

+1980.685535807025

Image

305 Gordonia Orbit Diagram.png