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
- 16 November 1904
- Pronunciation
- German: [ ˈɔʁtʁʊt ]
- Alternative designations
- 1904 PM
- Observation arc
- 111.06 yr (40565 d)
- Aphelion
- 3.3325 AU (498.53 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 2.6019 AU (389.24 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 2.9672 AU (443.89 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 5.11 yr (1866.9 d )
- Mean anomaly
- 306.688 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 11 34.188 / day
- Inclination
- 0.39727°
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Followed by
- Q155464
- Follows
- 550 Senta
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +81.113
- Orbital period
- +1868.54011117062
Show 4 more facts
Article
551 Ortrud is a minor planet orbiting the Sun. It is located in the Main Belt. In light of the practice of the discover c. 1904 to name his asteroids after female characters in opera, it is likely that Ortrud is named after a character in Richard Wagner's opera Lohengrin.
References