astronomy

NGC 1262

NGC 1262 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 NGC 1262 rather than just read about it. In short: NGC 1262 is a barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Eridanus. This galaxy was formerly believed to be the most distant object in the New General Catalogue with redshift and distance estimates placing it at z = 0.116 and hence roughly 507.0 megaparsecs (1,650 million light-years) from Earth, corresponding to a large isophotal diameter of about 125.59 kiloparsecs (410,000 light-years) based on its D25.0 ap…

Key takeaways

NGC 1262 belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect NGC 1262 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of NGC 1262 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

NGC 1262 is a barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Eridanus. This galaxy was formerly believed to be the most distant object in the New General Catalogue with redshift and distance estimates placing it at z = 0.116 and hence roughly 507.0 megaparsecs (1,650 million light-years) from Earth, corresponding to a large isophotal diameter of about 125.59 kiloparsecs (410,000 light-years) based on its D25.0 apparent dimension, making it nearly five times larger than the Milky Way and one of the largest spiral galaxies. However, in 2023 using data from Ann Isaacs from the University of Minnesota, Stephen Odewahn from the McDonald Observatory used new radial velocity calculations with a new estimate of 15,169 km/s, which corresponds to a lower redshift of z = 0.0506 and hence a light-travel distance of 686 million light-years (210.3 megaparsecs), placing NGC 1262 nowhere near the most distant NGC galaxy and resulting a rather lower isophotal diameter. It was discovered by astronomer Francis Leavenworth on November 12, 1885. Supernova AT 2014fx in NGC 1262 was discovered by citizen scientists using the Galaxy Zoo website. Its coordinates (decimal) are: ra=48.893766 dec=-15.884613.

See also List of the most distant astronomical objects List of NGC objects (1001–2000) NGC 5609

References

External links Media related to NGC 1262 at Wikimedia Commons

NGC 1262 on WikiSky: DSS2, SDSS, GALEX, IRAS, Hydrogen α, X-Ray, Astrophoto, Sky Map, Articles and images

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with NGC 1262

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what NGC 1262 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 NGC 1262 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 NGC 1262 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 NGC 1262

In research: NGC 1262 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 NGC 1262 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: NGC 1262 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Astronomical objects discovered in 1885, Barred spiral galaxies, Discoveries by Francis Leavenworth, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for NGC 1262 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 NGC 1262 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what NGC 1262 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 NGC 1262 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is NGC 1262 in simple terms?

Why does NGC 1262 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 NGC 1262?

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 NGC 1262.