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
- 11 April 1904
- Pronunciation
- / ˈ tj ʊər ə n d ɒ t /
- Alternative designations
- 1904 NV
- Observation arc
- 111.88 yr (40863 d)
- Aphelion
- 3.8850 AU (581.19 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 2.4865 AU (371.98 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 3.1858 AU (476.59 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 5.69 yr (2076.9 d )
- Mean anomaly
- 92.1597 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 10 23.988 / day
- Inclination
- 8.5603°
Article
530 Turandot is a minor planet orbiting the Sun that was discovered by German astronomer Max Wolf on 11 April 1904 and named for the title character in a play by Carlo Gozzi that was to become best known as an opera Turandot by Puccini.
Photometric observations of this asteroid in 1986 gave a light curve with a period of 10.77 ± 0.03 hours and a brightness variation of 0.13 ± 0.02 in magnitude. The curve is asymmetrical with dual maxima and minima. This object has a spectrum that matches an F-type classification.