Q158297

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

K. Reinmuth

Discovery site

Heidelberg Obs.

Discovery date

1 October 1921

Named after

Birgit Asplind, (daughter of Bror Asplind )

Alternative designations

A921 TG · 1921 KH

Minor planet category

main-belt · ( inner ) , background ( Florian )

Observation arc

98.26 yr (35,889 d)

Aphelion

2.6203 AU

Perihelion

1.8770 AU

Semi major axis

2.2486 AU

Orbital period sidereal

3.37 yr (1,232 d)

Mean anomaly

123.62 °

Mean motion

Wikidata facts

Instance of

asteroid

Followed by

961 Gunnie

Follows

Q132276

Parent body

Sun

Minor-planet group

asteroid belt

Diameter

+7.506

Orbital period

+1231.397752262337