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
- 2 August 1904
- Pronunciation
- German: [ paːmiːnaː ]
- Alternative designations
- 1904 OL
- Observation arc
- 111.70 yr (40800 d)
- Aphelion
- 3.3207 AU (496.77 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 2.1569 AU (322.67 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 2.7388 AU (409.72 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 4.53 yr (1,655.6 d) 4.53 yr (1655.6 d )
- Mean anomaly
- 216.44 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 13 2.82 / day
- Inclination
- 6.7963°
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Named after
- Pamina
- Followed by
- 540 Rosamunde
- Follows
- Q155319
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +68.356
- Orbital period
- +1654.948487079547
Show 4 more facts
Article
539 Pamina is a minor planet orbiting the Sun in the main belt. It is named for the heroine of Mozart's opera, The Magic Flute. This asteroid was discovered by M. Wolf in 1904 at the Heidelberg observatory in Germany. It is orbiting at a distance of 2.74 AU from the Sun, with an orbital eccentricity (ovalness) of 0.212 and a period of 4.53 yr. The orbital plane is inclined at an angle of 6.8° to the ecliptic.
Photometric observations of this asteroid taken in 2004 provided a light curve showing a rotation period of 13.903±0.001 h with a brightness amplitude of 0.10±0.01 in magnitude. Infrared measurements give a diameter estimate of 54±3 km.