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 date
- 16 January 1893
- Named after
- Ruprecht Karls University
- Alternative designations
- 1893 F · A893 BB
- Minor planet category
- Main belt
- Observation arc
- 123.20 yr (44997 d)
- Aphelion
- 3.63014 AU (543.061 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 1.84116 AU (275.434 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 2.73565 AU (409.247 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 4.52 yr (1652.7 d )
- Mean anomaly
- 145.519 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 13 4.177 / day
- Inclination
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Named after
- Heidelberg University
- Followed by
- Q151791
- Follows
- 352 Gisela
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +14.025
- Orbital period
- +1653.042244615209
- Image
- 000353-asteroid shape model (353) Ruperto-Carola.png
Show 4 more facts
- P61
- Max Wolf
Article
353 Ruperto-Carola (prov. designation: A893 BB or 1893 F) is a background asteroid from the central region of the asteroid belt. It was discovered by German astronomer Max Wolf at the Heidelberg Observatory on 16 January 1893. It is named after the Ruprecht Karls University (University of Heidelberg), whose Latin name is Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis.
References