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
- 25 October 1902
- Pronunciation
- / ˈ ɡ r ɪ f i ə /
- Alternative designations
- 1902 KH; 1931 TB;, 1931 TN2; 1933 FQ;, 1936 CB; 1951 WS2
- Observation arc
- 112.79 yr (41198 d)
- Aphelion
- 2.3726 AU (354.94 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 2.0255 AU (303.01 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 2.1990 AU (328.97 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 3.26 yr (1191.1 d )
- Mean anomaly
- 267.309 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 18 8.064 / day
- Inclination
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Part of
- Flora family
- Named after
- Andreas Gryphius
- Followed by
- 497 Iva
- Follows
- 495 Eulalia
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +14.403
- Orbital period
- +1191.138475490478
Show 4 more facts
- P61
Article
496 Gryphia is an S-type asteroid belonging to the Flora family in the Main Belt. Its diameter is about 15 km and it has an albedo of 0.168.
This object has a very low rate of spin, requiring 44.67 days (1,072 h) to complete a full rotation.