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
- Max Wolf
- Discovery site
- Heidelberg
- Discovery date
- 22 January 1917
- Pronunciation
- / ɜːr ˈ s aɪ n ə /
- Alternative designations
- 1917 BD
- Observation arc
- 113.24 yr (41362 days)
- Aphelion
- 3.0938 AU (462.83 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 2.5013 AU (374.19 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 2.7975 AU (418.50 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 4.68 yr (1709.1 d )
- Mean anomaly
- 247.967 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 12 38.304 / day
- Inclination
- 13.297°
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Followed by
- 861 Aïda
- Follows
- 859 Bouzaréah
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +34.561
- Orbital period
- +1706.842817092631
Show 4 more facts
Article
860 Ursina is a minor planet orbiting the Sun that was discovered in 1917 by German astronomer Max Wolf. The origin of the name is unknown.
Photometric observations of this asteroid collected during 1999 show a rotation period of 9.386 ± 0.002 hours with a brightness variation of 0.22 magnitude.