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
- Max Wolf
- Discovery site
- Heidelberg
- Discovery date
- 19 March 1892
- Alternative designations
- A896 BA, A922 XA
- Minor planet category
- Main belt
- Observation arc
- 124.05 yr (45308 d)
- Aphelion
- 3.0216 AU (452.02 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 2.5269 AU (378.02 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 2.7742 AU (415.01 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 4.62 yr (1687.8 d )
- Mean anomaly
- 186.290 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 12 47.88 / day
- Inclination
- 2.8473°
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Followed by
- 333 Badenia
- Follows
- Q151289
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +40.37
- Orbital period
- +1685.628919098004
Show 4 more facts
Article
332 Siri is a main belt asteroid in orbit around the Sun. It was discovered by German astronomer Max Wolf on 19 March 1892 in Heidelberg. The origin of this asteroid's name is unclear. On October 5, 2092, 332 Siri will pass 4,981,670 km (3,095,470 mi) from the asteroid 29 Amphitrite with a relative velocity of 2.054 kilometers per second.
References