Q155044

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

M. F. Wolf

Discovery site

Heidelberg Obs.

Discovery date

20 September 1903

Pronunciation

/ æ θ ə ˈ l aɪ ə /

Named after

Athaliah , (ancient queen consort )

Alternative designations

1903 ME · 1931 TQ, 1937 WO · 1937 WQ, 1937 WR · 1937 YH, 1953 TD · 1974 QA 3 , 1977 CF

Minor planet category

main-belt · ( outer ) , Themis

Observation arc

113.79 yr (41,562 days)

Aphelion

3.6671 AU

Perihelion

2.5797 AU

Semi major axis

3.1234 AU

Orbital period sidereal

5.52 yr (2,016 days)

Mean anomaly

Wikidata facts

Instance of

asteroid

Named after

Athaliah

Followed by

Q155060

Follows

514 Armida

Parent body

Sun

Minor-planet group

asteroid belt

Diameter

+41.19

Orbital period

+2011.335785016215