astronomy

IC 4051

IC 4051 is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand IC 4051 rather than just read about it. In short: IC 4051 is a large elliptical galaxy in the northern constellation of Coma Berenices. It was discovered by the French astronomer Guillaume Bigourdan on April 12, 1891.

Key takeaways

IC 4051 belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect IC 4051 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of IC 4051 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

IC 4051 is a large elliptical galaxy in the northern constellation of Coma Berenices. It was discovered by the French astronomer Guillaume Bigourdan on April 12, 1891. This object is located 14′ east of the core of the large Coma Cluster of galaxies, at a distance of 330 million light-years (100 Mpc) from the Milky Way. With a combined apparent visual magnitude of 13.20, it is the fifth brightest galaxy within a degree of the cluster core. The galaxy displays a significant radial velocity difference from the cluster as a whole, indicating that it may oscillate back-and-forth through the cluster and is now passing through the more dense core at high velocity. The morphological classification of IC 4051 is E2, indicating a slightly oval-shaped elliptical galaxy. The structure of the galaxy is relatively compact, suggesting it has undergone tidal trimming of its halo from the surrounding galaxy cluster. It has a peculiar core that is counter-rotating with respect to the galaxy as a whole. This core region extends out to an angular radius of 4″, which corresponds to a physical radius of about 8,800 light-years (2.7 kpc). This star population is old and metal-rich, but contributes only 1% of the total galactic luminosity. IC 4051 has an unusually large population of globular clusters, comparable to a Type-cD galaxy. Most of these clusters appear metal-rich. The evolutionary picture of this galaxy suggests that it was stripped of most of its gas after the globular cluster population was formed in situ, with the gas being carried away during the early passages through the cluster core. Metal-rich globulars are found within about 33,000 light-years (10 kpc) of the galactic center, while the metal-poor globulars are found further out in a halo orbiting the galaxy. SN 1950A was a Type I supernova event that was discovered by M. L. Humason from photographic plates taken March 20 and April 11, 1950. It was positioned 13.0″ North and 1.5″ West of the galactic center of IC 4051. The event was at magnitude 17.7±0.1 on March 20.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with IC 4051

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what IC 4051 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to IC 4051 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about IC 4051 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of IC 4051

In research: IC 4051 appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses IC 4051 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: IC 4051 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Coma Berenices, Discoveries by Guillaume Bigourdan, Elliptical galaxies, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for IC 4051 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study IC 4051 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what IC 4051 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain IC 4051 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is IC 4051 in simple terms?

IC 4051 is a large elliptical galaxy in the northern constellation of Coma Berenices. It was discovered by the French astronomer Guillaume Bigourdan on April 12, 1891.

Why does IC 4051 matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study IC 4051?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on IC 4051.