Q157232

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

M. F. Wolf

Discovery site

Heidelberg Obs.

Discovery date

28 November 1915

Named after

H. Baum , (German astronomy student)

Alternative designations

A915 WJ · 1945 WC, 1974 QR 2 · 1974 QY 2 , A907 GH · 1915 YR

Minor planet category

main-belt · ( inner ) background

Observation arc

112.84 yr (41,213 d)

Aphelion

2.2813 AU

Perihelion

2.1646 AU

Semi major axis

2.2230 AU

Orbital period sidereal

3.31 yr (1,211 d)

Mean anomaly

226.31 °

Mean motion

Wikidata facts

Instance of

asteroid

Followed by

814 Tauris

Follows

812 Adele

Parent body

Sun

Minor-planet group

asteroid belt

Diameter

+11.719

Orbital period

+1211.326048080912