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
- Luigi Carnera
- Discovery site
- Heidelberg
- Discovery date
- 23 August 1901
- Pronunciation
- / ɪ ˈ t æ l i ə /
- Named after
- Italy
- Alternative designations
- 1901 GR; A905 UK
- Observation arc
- 114.61 yr (41862 d)
- Aphelion
- 2.8698979 AU (429.33061 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 1.9640980 AU (293.82488 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 2.416998 AU (361.5778 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 3.76 yr (1372.5 d )
- Mean anomaly
- 224.20862 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 15 44.261 / day
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Named after
- Italy
- Followed by
- Q154643
- Follows
- 476 Hedwig
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +22.988
- Orbital period
- +1371.201192002792
Show 4 more facts
Article
477 Italia (1901 GR) is a main-belt asteroid that was discovered on 23 August 1901 by Italian astronomer Luigi Carnera at Heidelberg.
Photometric observations of this asteroid collected in 2005 gave a provisional rotation period of 19.4189 hours and a brightness variation of about 0.2 in magnitude.