Q157492

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

9 February 1917

Pronunciation

/ b ɛ ŋ ˈ k uː l ə /

Alternative designations

1917 BH

Observation arc

99.11 yr (36199 days)

Aphelion

3.2950 AU (492.92 Gm )

Perihelion

3.1059 AU (464.64 Gm)

Semi major axis

3.2004 AU (478.77 Gm)

Orbital period sidereal

5.73 yr (2091.3 d )

Mean anomaly

52.959 °

Mean motion

0° 10 19.704 / day

Inclination

25.418°

Wikidata facts

Instance of

asteroid

Followed by

Q122762

Follows

862 Franzia

Parent body

Sun

Diameter

+38.724

Orbital period

+2094.57361822337