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 Observatory
- Discovery date
- 24 August 1903
- Pronunciation
- / s ɛ n ˈ t ɛ z ɪ m ə /
- Alternative designations
- A903 QD · A914 WB · A916 BC · 1950 RM 1
- Minor planet category
- Main belt
- Observation arc
- 112.65 yr (41144 d)
- Aphelion
- 3.2648 AU (488.41 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 2.7679 AU (414.07 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 3.0163 AU (451.23 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 5.24 yr (1913.5 d )
- Mean anomaly
- 146.99°
- Mean motion
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Part of
- Eos family
- Named after
- Q37413
- Followed by
- 514 Armida
- Follows
- Q155021
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +48.805
- Orbital period
- +1911.888305548515
Show 4 more facts
- P61
Article
513 Centesima is a 50 km Main-belt asteroid orbiting the Sun. It is one of the core members of the Eos family of asteroids. Relatively little is known about this tiny asteroid. It is not known to possess any natural satellites, so its mass is unknown. However, its brief rotation period of just over 5 hours implies that the body must be exceptionally dense, for its gravity is able to counteract the centrifugal force. It was discovered 24 August 1903 by late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century astronomer Max Wolf.
History