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
- Discovery site
- Bergedorf
- Discovery date
- 8 February 1921
- Alternative designations
- 1921 JD
- Observation arc
- 109.28 yr (39915 days)
- Aphelion
- 3.4384 AU (514.38 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 2.0641 AU (308.78 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 2.7513 AU (411.59 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 4.56 yr (1666.8 d )
- Mean anomaly
- 61.4561 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 12 57.528 / day
- Inclination
- 6.7071°
- Longitude of ascending node
- 48.349°
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Followed by
- Q158187
- Follows
- 946 Poësia
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +26.06
- Orbital period
- +1668.681362053066
Show 3 more facts
Article
947 Monterosa is a minor planet orbiting the Sun.
Observations performed at the Palmer Divide Observatory in Colorado Springs, Colorado during 2007 produced a light curve with a period of 5.164 ± 0.001 hours with a brightness range of 0.23 ± 0.02 in magnitude. This differs from a period of 2.376 hours reported in 2007.