Q158366

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

Discovery site

Simeiz Obs.

Discovery date

5 November 1921

Pronunciation

/ l iː oʊ ˈ k eɪ d i ə /

Named after

unknown

Alternative designations

A921 VC · 1940 RV, 1944 SB · 1948 UG, 1963 PA · 1921 KZ

Minor planet category

main-belt · ( inner ) , background

Observation arc

98.12 yr (35,837 d)

Aphelion

2.9694 AU

Perihelion

1.9537 AU

Semi major axis

2.4615 AU

Orbital period sidereal

3.86 yr (1,411 d)

Mean anomaly

199.53 °

Mean motion

Wikidata facts

Instance of

asteroid

Followed by

Q158378

Follows

Q158353

Parent body

Sun

Minor-planet group

asteroid belt

Diameter

+17.321

Orbital period

+1411.557930175083