Q151271

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

M. F. Wolf

Discovery site

Heidelberg Obs.

Discovery date

2 February 1910

Pronunciation

/ æ d əl ˈ b ɜːr t ə /

Named after

Adalbert Merx, (discoverer's family) , Adalbert Krüger (astronomer)

Alternative designations

A910 CB · 1937 AD, 1951 SW · 1974 OQ, 1978 PS 1 · 1978 QJ 3 , 1980 EE

Minor planet category

main-belt · ( inner )

Observation arc

106.36 yr (38,848 days)

Aphelion

3.0929 AU

Perihelion

1.8426 AU

Semi major axis

2.4677 AU

Orbital period sidereal

3.88 yr (1,416 days)

Mean anomaly

Wikidata facts

Instance of

asteroid

Named after

Adalbert Merx

Followed by

Q151289

Follows

Q151235

Parent body

Sun

Minor-planet group

asteroid belt

Diameter

+9.111

Orbital period

+1417.086629980059