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
- A. Schwassmann, Bergedorf
- Discovery date
- 27 April 1919
- Pronunciation
- / m ə ˈ r ɪ t ɪ m ə /
- Minor planet category
- Main belt
- Observation arc
- 85.59 yr (31263 days)
- Aphelion
- 3.6842 AU (551.15 Gm ) (Q)
- Perihelion
- 2.5842 AU (386.59 Gm) (q)
- Semi major axis
- 3.1342 AU (468.87 Gm) (a)
- Eccentricity
- 0.17548 (e)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 5.55 yr (2026.7 d )
- Mean anomaly
- 282.25 ° (M)
- Mean motion
- 0° 10 39.468 / day (n)
- Inclination
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Followed by
- Q157858
- Follows
- 911 Agamemnon
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +82.675
- Orbital period
- +2022.901313773533
Show 4 more facts
Article
912 Maritima is an asteroid in the asteroid belt. Based on lightcurve studies observing Maritima over a three-month period, Maritima has a rotation period of 1332 hours. Analysis reveals a possible synodic period of 1332±5 h. Superslow rotators, those with periods longer than a few days, are generally small asteroids. The current paradigm is that slowing of an asteroid's spin rate is the result of YORP radiation pressure, which acts on the target as the inverse square of its size and the inverse of its semi-major axis. The rotation period is less than conclusive.
References