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
- 20 March 1904
- Pronunciation
- Spanish: [ pɾeˈθjosa ] , Italian: [ pretˈtsjoːza ]
- Alternative designations
- 1904 NT
- Observation arc
- 113.30 yr (41382 d)
- Aphelion
- 3.3078 AU (494.84 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 2.7246 AU (407.59 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 3.0162 AU (451.22 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 5.24 yr (1913.3 d )
- Mean anomaly
- 298.796 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 11 17.376 / day
- Inclination
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Part of
- Eos family
- Followed by
- Q155240
- Follows
- 528 Rezia
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +32.01
- Orbital period
- +1915.35776433991
Show 4 more facts
Article
529 Preziosa is a minor planet orbiting the Sun that was discovered by German astronomer Max Wolf on 20 March 1904 from Heidelberg.
This is a member of the dynamic Eos family of asteroids that were probably formed as the result of a collisional breakup of a parent body.