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
- Lipót Schulhof
- Discovery date
- 10 July 1875
- Pronunciation
- / ˌ p r ɒ t oʊ dʒ ɪ ˈ n iː ə /
- Named after
- Protogeneia
- Alternative designations
- A875 PA
- Minor planet category
- Main belt
- Observation arc
- 132.02 yr (48222 d)
- Aphelion
- 3.2230 AU (482.15 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 3.04727 AU (455.865 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 3.13512 AU (469.007 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 5.55 yr (2027.6 d )
- Average orbital speed
- 16.82 km/s
- Mean anomaly
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Part of
- asteroid belt
- Named after
- Protogeneia
- Followed by
- 148 Gallia
- Follows
- Q139442
- Location
- Solar System
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +132.93
- Orbital period
- +2029.622722011352
- Image
Article
147 Protogenia is a main belt asteroid that was discovered by Hungarian astronomer Lipót Schulhof on July 10, 1875, from the Vienna Observatory; it was his only asteroid discovery. Its name is Greek for "first born" and was chosen by Karl L. Littrow in allusion to the fact that this was the first asteroid discovered by an astronomer who was already known for work in other fields of astronomy.
This object has a low orbital eccentricity and inclination. With an orbital period roughly double that of the planet Jupiter, it has been identified as a member of the Hecuba group of asteroids that share a 2:1 mean-motion orbital resonance with the giant planet. Based upon its spectrum, it has a Tholen classification as a C-type asteroid, which indicates that it has a dark surface and probably a primitive composition of carbonaceous material.