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
- August Kopff
- Discovery site
- Heidelberg
- Discovery date
- 27 March 1906
- Pronunciation
- / p ɒ ˈ l ɪ k s ɪ n ə /
- Alternative designations
- 1906 TZ
- Observation arc
- 110.05 yr (40197 d)
- Aphelion
- 3.4085 AU (509.90 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 3.0083 AU (450.04 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 3.2084 AU (479.97 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 5.75 yr (2,099.1 d)
- Mean anomaly
- 355.26 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 10 17.4 / day
- Inclination
- 17.828°
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Named after
- Polyxena
- Followed by
- 596 Scheila
- Follows
- Q155741
- Parent body
- Sun
- Diameter
- +90.647
- Orbital period
- +2096.850350164862
- Image
- 595Polyxena (Lightcurve Inversion).png
Show 4 more facts
Article
595 Polyxena is a minor planet orbiting the Sun. This main belt asteroid was discovered on 27 March 1906 by German astronomer August Kopff at the Heidelberg observatory. It was named after the youngest daughter of Priam and Hecuba, king and queen of Troy during the Trojan War. 595 Polyxena is orbiting at a distance of 3.21 AU from the Sun, with an orbital eccentricity (ovalness) of 0.06 and a period of 5.75 yr (2,099.1 d). The orbital plane is inclined at an angle of 17.8° to the ecliptic.
Light curves generated from photometric data indicate a sidereal rotation period of 11.794162±0.000023 h. Preliminary shape models of the asteroid suggest there's a flat region at the southern pole, perhaps indicating a concave area or an impact crater.