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
- Max Wolf , Luigi Carnera
- Discovery site
- Heidelberg
- Discovery date
- 26 June 1902
- Pronunciation
- / k r iː ˈ uː s ə /
- Alternative designations
- 1902 JG, 1947 KH, 1977 YD, A901 CA, A905 XA
- Minor planet category
- Asteroid belt
- Observation arc
- 115.18 yr (42068 d)
- Aphelion
- 3.67325 AU (549.510 Gm )
- Perihelion
- 2.66507 AU (398.689 Gm)
- Semi major axis
- 3.16916 AU (474.100 Gm)
- Orbital period sidereal
- 5.64 yr (2060.7 d )
- Mean anomaly
- 197.66463 °
- Mean motion
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- asteroid
- Named after
- Creusa
- Followed by
- 489 Comacina
- Follows
- 487 Venetia
- Parent body
- Sun
- Minor-planet group
- asteroid belt
- Diameter
- +168.117
- Orbital period
- +2058.938043279558
Show 4 more facts
- P65
Article
488 Kreusa is a C-type asteroid orbiting the Sun in the asteroid belt, with the type indicating a surface with a low albedo and high carbonaceous content. The spectra of the asteroid displays evidence of aqueous alteration.
In 2002, Kreusa was detected by radar from the Arecibo Observatory at a distance of 1.67 AU. The resulting data yielded an effective diameter of 150±21 km.