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. Kopff
- Discovery site
- Heidelberg Obs.
- Discovery date
- 11 September 1907
- Named after
- unknown
- Alternative designations
- 1907 AD · 1930 SA, 1949 YJ · 1960 PA
- Minor planet category
- main-belt · ( inner )
- Observation arc
- 109.79 yr (40,102 days)
- Aphelion
- 2.9166 AU
- Perihelion
- 1.9659 AU
- Semi major axis
- 2.4412 AU
- Orbital period sidereal
- 3.81 yr (1,393 days)
- Mean anomaly
- 237.76 °
- Mean motion
- 0° 15 30.24 / day
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Followed by
- Q156129
- Follows
- 646 Kastalia
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +9.725
- Orbital period
- +1394.353965952983
Show 4 more facts
- P61
- August Kopff
- P65
Article
647 Adelgunde, provisional designation 1907 AD, is a stony asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 13 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 11 September 1907, by German astronomer August Kopff at Heidelberg Observatory in southern Germany. The origin of the asteroid's name is unknown, it may be derived from the name of Princess Adelgunde of Bavaria.
Orbit and classification