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
- 31 October 1900
- Alternative designations
- 1900 FS; 1926 TC; 1932 FG; 1959 NR
- Observation arc
- 115.34 yr (42127 d)
- Aphelion
- 2.926666564841749 AU (437.82308634920 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 1.868854585623135 AU (279.57666665715 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 2.397760575232 AU (358.6998765031 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 3.71 yr (1356.1 d )
- Mean anomaly
- 75.32067165114480 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 15 55.648 / day
- Inclination
- 13.54376742339310°
- Longitude of ascending node
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Followed by
- Q503915
- Follows
- Q154546
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +20.908
- Orbital period
- +1356.755109625287
Show 4 more facts
Article
463 Lola (1900 FS) is a Main-belt asteroid discovered on 31 October 1900 by Max Wolf at Heidelberg. It is named after Lola, a character from Pietro Mascagni's opera Cavalleria Rusticana.
References