Q158350
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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
- W. Baade
- Discovery site
- Bergedorf
- Discovery date
- 9 November 1921
- Pronunciation
- / h iː l i ˈ ɒ n ə p iː /
- Alternative designations
- 1921 KV; A922 AB
- Observation arc
- 91.53 yr (33433 days)
- Aphelion
- 2.5998 AU (388.92 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 1.8516 AU (277.00 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 2.2257 AU (332.96 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 3.32 yr (1212.8 d )
- Mean anomaly
- 278.852 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 17 48.552 / day
- Inclination
- 5.4125°
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Followed by
- Q158353
- Follows
- Q158342
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +10.216
- Orbital period
- +1212.438015388246
Show 3 more facts
- P61
- Walter Baade
- P6259
Article
967 Helionape is an asteroid belonging to the Flora family of Main Belt asteroids. It was discovered by German astronomer Walter Baade at Hamburg Observatory on November 9, 1921, and was named after the Austrian theatrical actor Adolf von Sonnenthal. This object is orbiting the Sun at a distance of 2.23 AU with a period of 3.32 years and an eccentricity of 0.168. The orbital plane is inclined at an angle of 5.4° to the ecliptic.
Its diameter is about 12 km and it has an albedo of 0.178. Photometric observations in 2007 generated a light curve showing a rotation period of 3.234±0.002 h. The brightness amplitude during the measured period was 0.058±0.005 magnitude.