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
- 9 May 1905
- Pronunciation
- German: [ ˈduːduː ]
- Alternative designations
- 1905 QM
- Observation arc
- 101.79 yr (37178 d)
- Aphelion
- 3.5071 AU (524.65 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 1.9857 AU (297.06 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 2.7464 AU (410.86 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 4.55 yr (1662.4 d )
- Mean anomaly
- 106.652 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 12 59.58 / day
- Inclination
- 17.990°
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Followed by
- Q155591
- Follows
- Q155580
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +52.01
- Orbital period
- +1664.32081671527
Show 4 more facts
Article
564 Dudu is a minor planet orbiting the Sun. It was discovered 9 May 1905 by German astronomer Paul Götz at Heidelberg, and was named for a female character in the novel Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche. Based on observations made with the IRAS, 564 Dudu has a diameter of 49.57 ± 4.9 km, a geometric albedo of 0.0484 ± 0.011, and an absolute magnitude (H-value) of 10.43.
References