Q156507

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

J. Palisa

Discovery site

Vienna Obs.

Discovery date

25 August 1909

Named after

unknown

Alternative designations

A909 QC · 1927 SR, 1940 SJ · A917 KD, 1909 HH

Minor planet category

main-belt · ( middle ) , background

Observation arc

106.92 yr (39,054 d)

Aphelion

3.0733 AU

Perihelion

2.3217 AU

Semi major axis

2.6975 AU

Orbital period sidereal

4.43 yr (1,618 d)

Mean anomaly

20.621 °

Mean motion

0° 13 21 / day

Wikidata facts

Instance of

asteroid

Followed by

Q117317

Follows

Q156499

Parent body

Sun

Minor-planet group

asteroid belt

Diameter

+41.614

Orbital period

+1619.305599377156