astronomy

IC 860

IC 860 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 860 rather than just read about it. In short: IC 860 is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation of Coma Berenices. It is located 155 million light years away from Earth.

Key takeaways

IC 860 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 860 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of IC 860 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

IC 860 is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation of Coma Berenices. It is located 155 million light years away from Earth. It was discovered on June 16, 1892, by Stephan Javelle, a French astronomer. It is a peculiar galaxy. IC 860 is classified a nearby post-starburst galaxy, in early stages of transforming into its quiescent state. It is also vibrationally excited HCN luminous infrared galaxy (LIRG) with LHCN -VIB/LIR of 3.2 × 10−8. It has a dust obscured nucleus making it hard to determine whether it is a starburst galaxy or an active galactic nucleus (AGN). In additional, the galaxy contains HI and OH absorption towards its central region. The galaxy has an implied mass of MSMBH of 4 × 107 MΘ based on its velocity rotation of vrot = 226 km s−1. The Eddington luminosity of IC 860 is 2 × 1012 LΘ. According to low [C II] 157.7 μm-to-LFIR ratios and by a mid-infrared silicate absorption, the findings suggest IC 860 does have a warm compact region. The region of the galaxy, is in a current phase of rapid evolution where inflows are accumulating column densities of interstellar dust and gas, sufficient to fuel its star formation or its AGN. IC 860 was also observed in optical imaging. From the results, the galaxy has a massive V-shaped kiloparsec dust structure. As the nuclear gas only has an outflow velocity of vout = 170 – 200 km s−1, this makes it impossible to escape from the galaxy unless being accelerated. In another study, IC 860 contains 4.83 GHz formaldehyde emission with a peak flux density of 2.0-2.2 mJy based from observations made by Arecibo Observatory. It is found to have three unique emission compartments centered between 3830 and 3990 km s−1.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with IC 860

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what IC 860 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 860 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 860 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 860

In research: IC 860 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 860 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 860 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Active galaxies, Astronomical objects discovered in 1891, Barred spiral galaxies, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for IC 860 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 860 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what IC 860 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 860 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is IC 860 in simple terms?

IC 860 is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation of Coma Berenices. It is located 155 million light years away from Earth.

Why does IC 860 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 860?

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 860.