Q154546

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

22 October 1900

Pronunciation

/ ɛr ɪ ˈ f aɪ l ə /

Named after

Eriphyle , (Greek mythology)

Alternative designations

A900 UJ · 1927 CP, 1946 DB · 1948 OG, 1951 EA 3 · 1957 KB, 1958 RR · 1959 WB, A896 YA · A907 BB, 1900 FQ

Minor planet category

main-belt · ( outer ) Koronis

Observation arc

119.28 yr (43,567 d)

Aphelion

3.1252 AU

Perihelion

2.6181 AU

Semi major axis

2.8717 AU

Orbital period sidereal

4.87 yr (1,777 d)

Mean anomaly

Wikidata facts

Instance of

asteroid

Followed by

Q154548

Follows

Q154544

Parent body

Sun

Minor-planet group

asteroid belt

Diameter

+34.274

Orbital period

+1779.333979927557