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
- 23 September 1967
- Named after
- unknown
- Alternative designations
- A916 SH · 1964 BA, 1979 ST · 1916 AE
- Minor planet category
- main-belt · ( outer ) , background
- Observation arc
- 103.29 yr (37,725 d)
- Aphelion
- 3.5001 AU
- Perihelion
- 2.9366 AU
- Semi major axis
- 3.2183 AU
- Orbital period sidereal
- 5.77 yr (2,109 d)
- Mean anomaly
- 1.9258 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 10 14.52 / day
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Followed by
- Q157342
- Follows
- 834 Burnhamia
- Parent body
- Sun
- Diameter
- +30.418
- Orbital period
- +2109.973050136191
Show 3 more facts
via Wikidata · CC0
Article
835 Olivia (prov. designation: A916 SH or 1916 AE) is a dark background asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt. It was discovered by German astronomer Max Wolf at the Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory on 23 September 1916. The carbonaceous C-type asteroid measures approximately 35 kilometers (22 miles) in diameter, and is one of few low-numbered asteroids with an undetermined rotation period. Any reference to the origin of the asteroid's name is unknown.
Orbit and classification