486 Cremona

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

Luigi Carnera

Discovery site

Heidelberg

Discovery date

11 May 1902

Pronunciation

/ k r ɪ ˈ m oʊ n ə /

Alternative designations

1902 JB

Observation arc

113.79 yr (41560 d)

Aphelion

2.7337 AU (408.96 Gm )

Perihelion

1.9702 AU (294.74 Gm)

Semi major axis

2.3520 AU (351.85 Gm)

Orbital period sidereal

3.61 yr (1317.5 d )

Mean anomaly

251.569 °

Mean motion

0° 16 23.7 / day

Inclination

11.091°

Wikidata facts

Instance of

asteroid

Named after

Cremona

Followed by

487 Venetia

Follows

485 Genua

Parent body

Sun

Minor-planet group

asteroid belt

Diameter

+22.781

Orbital period

+1317.273848513221

Image

486Cremona (Lightcurve Inversion).png