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
- Paul Götz
- Discovery site
- Heidelberg
- Discovery date
- 14 October 1904
- Pronunciation
- / ˈ k r ɛ s ɪ d ə /
- Alternative designations
- 1904 PC
- Observation arc
- 111.50 yr (40725 d)
- Aphelion
- 2.7051 AU (404.68 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 1.8592 AU (278.13 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 2.2822 AU (341.41 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 3.45 yr (1,259.3 d)
- Mean anomaly
- 128.11 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 17 9.168 / day
- Inclination
- 3.8722°
Article
548 Kressida is a minor planet orbiting the Sun. This object was discovered by German astronomer Paul Götz in 1904. It is named after the theatrical character Cressida. This stony S-type asteroid is orbiting at a distance of 2.28 AU from the Sun, with an orbital eccentricity (ovalness) of 0.185 and a period of 3.45 yr. The orbital plane is inclined at an angle of 3.87° to the ecliptic.
Photometric observations of this asteroid from 2021 were used to produce a light curve showing a rotation period of 11.930±0.017 h with a brightness amplitude of 0.44±0.02 in magnitude.