May 26, 2026
Another trip around the Sun. A whole sky of possibilities.
Birthday · May 26, 2026
A little universe, just for you
Your date.
Ready to give.
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Selected image source ↗ APOD published May 26, 2026. Credit: Adam Block, El Sauce Obs.. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
Read the original APOD for the astronomer’s explanation and full image credits. Its text is preserved in the archive as published.
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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.
Image credit: Adam Block, El Sauce Obs.
Explore May 26 in other years · 31 APOD entries, 1996–2026
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