Q154902

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

Auguste Charlois

Discovery site

Nice

Discovery date

2 December 1902

Pronunciation

/ ˈ t oʊ k i oʊ /

Alternative designations

1902 KU

Observation arc

112.09 yr (40942 d)

Aphelion

3.2459283 AU (485.58396 Gm )

Perihelion

2.0591298 AU (308.04143 Gm)

Semi major axis

2.6525291 AU (396.81271 Gm)

Orbital period sidereal

4.32 yr (1577.9 d )

Mean anomaly

178.62454 °

Mean motion

0° 13 41.327 / day

Inclination

9.493271°

Wikidata facts

Instance of

asteroid

Named after

Tokyo

Followed by

499 Venusia

Follows

497 Iva

Parent body

Sun

Minor-planet group

asteroid belt

Diameter

+81.83

Orbital period

+1575.492752700363