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
- K. Reinmuth
- Discovery site
- Heidelberg Obs.
- Discovery date
- 9 March 1915
- Pronunciation
- / ˈ ɡ juː d ə l ə /
- Alternative designations
- 1915 WO
- Observation arc
- 109.04 yr (39828 d)
- Aphelion
- 2.5974 AU (388.57 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 2.4883 AU (372.24 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 2.5428 AU (380.40 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 4.05 yr (1481.0 d )
- Mean anomaly
- 132.296 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 14 35.052 / day
- Inclination
- 5.2827°
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Followed by
- 800 Kressmannia
- Follows
- Q157143
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +47.185
- Orbital period
- +1480.327393702682
Show 3 more facts
Article
799 Gudula is a minor planet orbiting the Sun discovered by German astronomer Karl Wilhelm Reinmuth on 9 March 1915 at the Heidelberg observatory.
Photometric observations of this asteroid at the Oakley Observatory in Terre Haute, Indiana, during 2006 gave a light curve with a period of 14.814 ± 0.003 hours and a brightness variation of 0.30 ± 0.03 in magnitude.