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
- Joel Hastings Metcalf
- Discovery site
- Taunton, Massachusetts
- Discovery date
- 11 March 1907
- Pronunciation
- / k r ɪ ˈ s ɒ θ ɪ m ɪ s /
- Alternative designations
- 1907 YE
- Observation arc
- 108.31 yr (39561 d)
- Aphelion
- 3.5702 AU (534.09 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 2.7782 AU (415.61 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 3.1742 AU (474.85 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 5.66 yr (2065.7 d )
- Mean anomaly
- 163.254 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 10 27.408 / day
- Inclination
Article
637 Chrysothemis is a Themistian asteroid, which means it is a member of the Themis asteroid family.
In 2025, a photometric study of this minor planet was used to produce a light curve showing a rotation period of 42.93±0.01 hours with a brightness variation of 0.31±0.02 in magnitude. The light curve is bimodal and asymmetric.